Hogwarts is Hope
by Whouffle-Shipper-Forever
Summary: Sequel to Hogwarts is Home. Whouffle AU. Clara and John are now starting their fifth year at Hogwarts and the Wizarding World is suddenly becoming a lot darker. How will they manage their raging emotions as they prepare themselves for the hardships of the outside world? Rated T to be safe. (OOTP - DH)
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya everyone! It's me again! Here's the sequel I promised. It starts in the Summer before their fifth year (Order of the Pheonix). It will actually contain Whouffle in it (yay!) and it will hopefully be a more interesting story in general. Please review, favourite and follow. It would be much appreciated.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own either of the two amazing worlds or characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Clara<strong>

_John paced towards her, with deep passion in his eyes. He took her hand and they ran, they ran as far as they could into the forest, leaving their camping site far behind them. Once they were in the darkness, he took her into his strong arms and looked right into her eyes._

_"It was always you, Clara. I only ever wanted you," he whispered, his braking voice making her fluster slightly._

_"John, this is silly, we should go back," Clara said, pushing him away from her._

_"But we have a chance, Clara. I need you," he said, pulling her towards him again._

_"No John. You've had too much Fire whiskey. We're too young for any of this. Come on." She pleaded with him, but he wouldn't let go. His firm grip was on her t-shirt, and she couldn't force him off._

_Before she knew it, he was kissing her in every place he could manage._

_"John, stop. Stop!" She was shouting now. She was struggling but he held onto her tight. He began slipping his hands under her t-shirt, but that's when she heard a twig snap. She glanced over John's hungry head to see a tall, faceless figure, his wand in his hand. Before anything else could happen, she heard the Killing curse being muttered from the stranger's mouth. There was a green light and then nothing more._

Clara awoke from the nightmare she had just experienced so suddenly, that it made her head swirl. She looked around to see her bedroom, which made her feel a little better. Her bedside lamp was still on, and everything was still. She checked her watch, which read four o'clock in the morning. She didn't really want to lay back down and fall asleep again, as she was so shaken by her bad dream.

This was the first time she had ever dreamt anything like it. She had never even considered John doing anything like what he had in that dream. And as for the killing, she had no idea where that had come from. The only reason she knew about the Killing curse, was because she had learnt about it in Defence Against the Dark Arts the year before. Their teacher, Professor Moody, had told them that it was good stuff to know for when they faced the outside world. It turned out that bit wasn't Professor Moody at all, but some criminal using Polyjuice Potion, who'd helped He Who Must Not Be Named return.

Times were getting a lot darker now, ever since Harry Potter's claims that the Dark Lord had returned from the dead. Clara was in no way going to deny what Harry had been saying, but it was really something she didn't want to believe. The thought of His return was something that scared her, especially after what her parents had told her about the last time.

Clara decided to make a trip to the bathroom, as it gave her something to do. When she returned, she spotted something on her desk. For some reason, it was John's scruffy hand-writing that caught her eye. It took her back to her dream, and she couldn't help but feel really awkward. That letter from John had told her that their annual camping trip had been cancelled because of his mum's paranoia.

If there's one thing Clara had learnt about John's mum over the past few years, it was that she was extremely protective. As soon as the news of You Know Who's supposed return got out, about a million letters got sent to John from his mother. He wasn't very happy about it.

Clara lied down on her bed and tried to forget about everything. Her mind was becomming a very crowded place recently, and she was finding it hard to clear it. But eventually though, without really realising it, Clara fell asleep.

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><p>Clara made her way down to breakfast a little later than usual the following morning. When she reached the kitchen, she got raised eyebrows from her father.<p>

"It's not like you to wake up this late," he said, in the same sombre tone he had had ever since her mother's miscarriage a few years before. He had never been the same since then. It had scarred him permanently.

"Oh, leave her, Dave. It's the holidays, she can wake up whenever she wants," Clara's mum said while washing up.

"Yeah, dad. It's this thing called independence, people usually start to get it when they grow up," Clara said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, don't speak to me like that, young lady. You're still under our roof at the moment, so we demand some respect," her father said.

"Yes, dad," Clara said, before nicking a piece of toast from the table, and then heading back up to her room.

Her relationship with her father had changed quite dramatically during the Summer before her second year. With the news that her mum had had a miscarriage, the whole household had become severely miserable. It had made her father more grumpy, and he had never been the same fun, loving father he had once been. She had never quite understood why it had affected him so badly compared to the rest of them, but she dared not question it.

Once back in her room, the first thing she noticed was Tara, John's pet owl sitting on her windowsill. Clara could see Fidget hooting and flapping his wings in his cage and she couldn't help but laugh. Her and John had observed that their owls had become a little more than friends. She went over to the cage and let her owl out.

Tara had a note tied to her leg, so Clara went over and undid it. The note read:

_Clara,_

_It's seriously boring around here, and there's only so many times you can look at Harry Potter's face in the Prophet without going mad. Can we perhaps make a trip to the beach today or something? We haven't been over in a while, and the weather's amazing. _

_Waiting for a response,_

_John._

Clara smiled. She loved going to the beach with John. It was always extremely fun. She grabbed the nearest piece of stray parchment and took her quill in her hand. She scribbled down a response to John's letter, saying that she was happy to go, and that she would be over in half an hour. She tied the note to Tara's leg, and then dragged Fidget away from the window to allow her to fly away. Clara could feel Fidget struggling in her grip.

"Come on, Romeo. You'll see her again," she said, before closing the window.

Fidget pecked her finger and the sharp pain made Clara quickly let go. He then flew up onto her desk.

Clara sat down on her bed and used the Self-Applying Sun Cream her parents had bought her in Diagon Alley. She let it smother her as she retrieved her sunglasses from one of her drawers.

She then made her way downstairs and found her mum alone in the kitchen. She went over and hugged her. "Has dad gone to work?" Clara asked, hoping that the answer was yes.

"Yes, darling. I'll be off as well soon," her mum said.

"Okay, I'm meeting John so I'm going to go," Clara said.

Her mum broke their hug and held her at arms length. "That's fine. Just remember to look after yourself, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Clara smiled. Her mum always said that. They hugged again, and then Clara left the house. She took out her bike from the garage, and then slowly pedalled to John's house.

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><p><strong>Did anyone notice the thing I did with the name of John's owl? I called her Tara - a bit like Tardis, right? <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**So yeah, the story is just different now. I'm not planning anything this time, and I feel a lot freer already. Remember to review, favourite and follow because that's what keeps me going :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - John<strong>

47... 48... 49... 50. John rolled over onto his back, feeling relieved that it was all over. He'd just struggled through fifty push-ups after his slow paced twenty minute jog. He was keen on keeping his fitness high, and his muscles toned, and he felt that his fitness was gradually improving.

His mother had Benn complaining that he was too skinny, so he decided it was better to be toned than fat. Plus, the exercise was making him more hungry anyway.

After his rest on the floor, he got up and sat down at his desk, taking a scroll of parchment and writing a note to Clara. He tied it to Tara's leg and took her to the windowsill.

He stroked her, and she closed her eyes and hooted. "Good girl," John muttered. His voice was braking and it sounded funny, which annoyed John quite a lot, although it did make Clara laugh, which he liked.

He was still shirtless, but as he was about to put his t-shirt on, he smelled himself. It wasn't good so he took a quick trip to the shower.

When he returned to his room, Tara was already back with a reply. John chuckled to himself; that had to be a yes, he thought. He took the note from his owl, and it was just what he was expecting.

John jogged down the stairs, and took a banana from the fruit bowl on the side. As he ate, he glanced down at the Daily Prophet that had been left on the table. There was an article about He Who Must Not Be Named, and his effects on the Wizarding World before his downfall. John shook his head, and then turned to the front page, where there was an image of Cornelius Fudge shaking his own head.

The headline read: _FUDGE DENIES ALL CLAIMS OF THE DARK LORD'S RETURN._

"Give us all a break, Fudge," John said. "We all know you're lying to yourself."

There was also a sandwich on the kitchen table, which John already knew was for him. There was a note next to it which said: _Eat. It'll make you stronger._

John wrapped the sandwich in some tin foil and put it in a backpack, along with his sandals and some other things he needed for the beach, including a deflated beach ball.

Just as he zipped up the bag, he heard the doorbell ring. Without any hesitation, he ran for the door, knowing exactly who would be on the other side. He looked at Clara's blurry figure through the glass and admired it for a second, before opening the door.

He deliberately looked around for a minute before catching his eyes on Clara. He was a lot taller than her now, and was beginning to make a habit of joking about her height.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there for a minute. It's just you're a little short for my eye level," he said with a mocking smile.

"Hey, that is starting to lose its humour, you know," Clara said, before giving him a hug.

"Nah, you know I'm only kidding. If it makes you feel any better, here's a word of reassurance. You will always be taller than a goblin, which is good enough for me," he laughed and she hit his arm. He cringed a little and held his arm. "Alright, come in already. Let's not make your abuse towards me public."

He led her into the kitchen where he had just finished packing his bag. "So, have you got round to any of the work we've been set yet?" Clara asked him, as he put his bag on his shoulder and retrieved the keys to the garage.

"Nope," he said. "Have you?"

"Well, I tried to attempt Snape's Potions essay last night, but all I wrote was the title. That's it, really," she said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. We've still got ages left," John said. "Come on, I need to get my bike from the garage,"

John lead Clara out of the house through the front door, and then opened the garage. He took out his bike and then locked it again. They both mounted their bikes. "You got everything?" He asked her.

"I think so," she said. He nodded, and then they slowly accelerated down the drive and out onto the path.

It was a short ride from John's house to Blackpool beach. It took them approximately five to ten minutes.

When they got there, they realised how crowded it was, so they rode along the path next to it, looking for somewhere where it was a little more quiet. Eventually, they were lucky enough to find a spot where it was almost deserted. There were only a few couples sitting together, some old, some young.

John laid down a blanket just in front of the sea wall, where it was shadiest, and they both sat down.

"I sound like such an elderly person, but I have to see that the weather is absolutely gorgeous today," John said.

"Yes, it most definitely is," Clara said, looking out at the sea and the sun glistening above it.

"Fancy going for a swim?" John asked.

"How did I know you were going to suggest that?" Clara said.

"You obviously know me too well. Do you have your costume?" He asked, remembering that she needed a costume.

"I've lived in Blackpool all my life. I am always bikini ready, John," she said smiling.

"Well there you go. That's phrase I will never forget," John said, before taking off his shirt to reveal his lightly shaped abs.

"Wow, John. You're doing a hell of a good job on that body of yours," Clara said, before taking off her own t-shirt.

"Well, your not doing too badly yourself, Clara. I mean, for a girl, that is," John said.

Clara slipped off her shorts, and then poked his chest. "I think your getting a bit flirty, John. Calm down,"

He laughed. "Do you want to race, or-"

Clara was already sprinting towards the water. John should have seen it coming, because he knew that she always reacted to the word 'race' immediately.

He ran after her, and decided to just stay on her tail until the very end, just to be annoying. He laughed loudly as he belly flopped into the sea. It wasn't as warm as he had expected, but it wasn't too bad.

"You'rd so annoying, do you know that?" Clara shouted over the splashing. "Wow, it's not that warm, is it?"

John laughed again, he couldn't stop. "Feel the wrath of the sea!" He shouted before picking her up and throwing her in deeper.

He was in hysterics now, as he watched her shocked face emerge from the water, and she regained her balance.

"Hey, you'rd always laughing at my expense! Let's turn it around for once!" Clara ran (more like sploshed) through the water to him and jumped onto his back, pulling him down. They both fell back together, and this time they were both laughing

"Oh, Clara," John said after brushing his hand though his wet hair. "We're so hilarious."

"Yes, and extremely weird in our own way," Clara said.

"Come on, let's get out of here before people start dragging us out for disturbing the peace," John said.

He bent over, indicating for him to give her a piggy back, and then they made their way out of the sea, and back onto the beach.

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><p><strong>Hehe, so much banter... :')<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Cute, huh? If anyone's worried about their age, they're both 15, nearly 16. It's all good, they're allowed to have a good flirt :P Please review, favourite and follow coz it makes me fell good :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately do not own many awesome things like these.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Clara<strong>

The two of them sat back down onto the blanket, and Clara rested her head back against the sea wall. John pulled out a sandwich from his bag, and started nibbling on it.

"So how's your work out going? I mean, I can see that your getting results, but how are you coping with it? Is it tiring?" Clara asked him, tapping his stomach.

"Oh, you know. I'm getting used to it. It's not actually too bad, but it makes me really hungry sometimes. Especially when I do the more intense stuff," John explained, peeling off his crusts and eating them on their own.

"Wow, you're so dedicated though. It must take a lot of will power to swap Chocolate Frogs for lettuce," Clara said.

"Nah, not really. I was never really a heavy eater before anyway," John said.

"Well, yes, actually. That's pretty true," Clara said, nodding.

She suddenly got a craving for chips, and saw it as an opportunity to get back at John. "I'm gonna go get some chips, do you want some? Oh, wait, you're on a diet. Maybe next time." She laughed laudly, and before he could get a word in, she jumped up and walked away.

She felt pretty satisfied with herself. It was always John who made the funny remarks against her, and only every once in a while would she catch an opportunity to do it had such a banterous relationship, it was hilarious.

She reached the chippy and ordered a large portion of chips. She wasn't going to be extremely mean and just have one whole portion to herself.

As she waited for the ships, she looked out onto the beach. It was very crowded in that part. She couldn't stand the crowded beach, ever since she got lost one time when she was there with her parents. It was such a scary experience.

She received her chips, and then she paid. She dolloped some ketchup onto one side of the container, before heading back to their blanket on the beach.

John was casually doing sit ups when she returned, and she rolled her eyes. "Give yourself a break, lad. There's such a thing as overtraining, you know," Clara said, before sitting down next to him.

"Alright, Sergeant," he said.

She offered him some chips, and she saw that his temptation had overcome him when he finally said yes. She laughed. "Don't worry, it won't make you obese or anything," Clara said.

They both silently ate through the big portion of chips, and Clara could occasionally feel John's eyes on her. It reminded her of her dream, something she didn't really want to think about around John.

"Are you okay?" John asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just... Don't worry," Clara said, beginning to fiddle with her fingernails.

"No, go on, tell me. I'm here to listen," John said, putting a hand in her shoulder.

"I just had a weird dream last night, that's all," Clara said. She was hoping he wouldn't ask for details, but it was John, who was she kidding?

"How was it weird? What happened?" He asked.

"Oh, um... Basically, you and me were in a forest, and then some guy came and killed us. It's just not a dream I've really had before," Clara explained. She deliberately left out any other details.

"Oh, okay," John said, stroking his chin. "Has it got anything to do with the recent news? Are you scared?"

"Not particularly. I don't really like the thought of it though," Clara said.

"Ah, well, it's probably nothing to worry about. It's probably not true anyway," John said.

"Do you believe it, John?" Clara asked, looking his straight in the eye, and wanting the truth.

"Um...," he scratched his head. "Yes, to put it plainly. Harry's not the attention seeker they make him out to be. He wouldn't just make something like that up. Besides, You Know Who killed his parents, he wouldn't want it to be true," John said.

"Fair point. I don't really know what to believe, to be honest. Of course, I don't want Him to be back, but I can't see why it would be made up," Clara said.

"At the moment it's just words. Let's just hope it doesn't escalate into something bigger."

They spent a few more hours chatting away in the sun. They went for another swim, but eventually, they decided to call it a day.

"Do you want to come back to mine for a bit?" Clara suggested. "My dad's gone all grumpy again, and he's usually a lot calmer when someone else is around."

"Yeah, sure. But just tell me straight that you love my company next time," John said.

"Oh, ha ha," Clara said sarcastically.

Once everything was packed up, they got on their bikes, and rode back to Clara's house. When they got there, both her parents were back home from work, and they greeted John with friendly smiles, or in her dad's case, as friendly as could be.

"Are you two hungry?" Clara's mum asked.

"No, we had a big portion of chips at the beach. But thanks, mum," Clara said, before her and John went up to her bedroom. "Sorry it's such a mess," she said.

"Nah, since when have I ever cared? Or have you entered my extremely tidy room?" John said.

"Exactly, so I'm not in any way sorry," Clara said.

"Good, is that Quidditch Through the Ages I see on your desk?" John asked, walking over to her desk and picking up the book.

"Maybe," Clara said. She wanted to have a proper go at Quidditch. Especially ever sincd John had got onto the Ravenclaw team two years before. Quidditch was cancelled in their fourth year due to the Triwizard Tournament, which Clara was a little disappointed about.

"I bet you'll make the team this year. I think you're naturally gifted. With a bit of practise, you could be great," John said.

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to the try-outs," Clara said.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Roger beforehand if you like," John said. He checked his watch, the watch which used to be his father's, and then looked up with an apologetic face. "I have to go. My mum will be manic if I don't get back. I'll write to you, yeah?"

Clara nodded. "See you," she said.

She accompanied John to the door, where they hugged. Then he went outside, where the sky was slowly darkening. She watched him as he rode away on his bike, and she couldn't help but miss him already.

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><p><strong>Aww, the feels :(<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hehe, so much banter... But's that's Whouffle for you :') Please review, favourite and follow :) Thanks so far :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own either world.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - John<strong>

A couple of weeks had passed since John and Clara's trip to the beach. The holidays were going so quickly as they always did. It was coming up to the end of July, which meant that there was only about a month left.

John was thinking about the fact that him and Clara could have been on their camping trip with their families at that moment. He loved the camping trips they went on, because they were always so fun. They always did traditional muggle things like singing around the campfire with marshmallows. That was Mrs Oswald's idea, as she was from a muggle family.

Mr Oswald also knew how to play the guitar, originally to please Mrs Oswald's parents. His music was usually quite awesome as well.

John sighed as he looked through some photos from the year before. There was one of his running around with Clara on his back, and another where their parents were playing leap frog. Those were some fond memories.

And in that moment in flew Fidget. The owl flew straight to Tara's cage, and John couldn't help but roll his eyes. "For Pete's sake," he muttered. He tried to un-do the note from Fidget's leg, but the bloody bird wouldn't stay still. "You are one sexually frustrated owl, Fidget. Calm your hormones down."

Eventually, John managed to get the note away from the owl, and then he picked him up and threw him out of the window, before closing it. "I don't want any hanky panky in my bedroom ever again, you get me?" John said to Tara, before sitting back down on his bed.

He unrolled the noted began to read:

_Hey John,_

_I know we only saw each other yesterday, but I'm seriously bored already. I'm sorry I had to send Fidget over again - it's not my fault he's attracted to your owl!_

_Seriously though, I feel for you. What you witnessed was something that shouldn't have been witnessed by anyone._

John chuckled. "You got that right," he said out loud.

_Anyway, changing the subject. We should be getting our Hogwarts letters in the next week, and I've remembered that they're choosing Prefects from our year. Wouldn't it be amazing if it were me and you? I really hope it is! _

_So what have you been up to? Anything interesting?_

_Waiting for a reply,_

_Clara._

John finished the note and stroked his chin. He had never really thought about the prospect of being a Prefect. He wouldn't mind it, but he really wanted to be the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain the following year when Cho left. He wasn't exactly sure if he could be both.

He put that in his reply, along with how amazing he thought Clara would be as a Prefect. He meant it as well, she was sensible and a little bossy at times, which was just what she needed.

He tied the note to Tara's leg, and sent her out to Clara. He forgot that he was supposed to send Fidget back with the reply, but it was no matter. Clara could see how it felt to have two owls getting saucy in her bedroom.

Once the owl had flown away, John made his way downstairs to grab a bottle of water from the kitchen. He noticed that the washing up hadn't been done, probably because his mother was rushing to her shift at St. Mungos, so he decided to be a good son, and do it for her. She was already under enough pressure as it was, being a Healer.

Tara flew in through the open kitchen window as he was just drying some plates. He put the tea towel down, and read the note.

_Thank you, John! Your remarks are very flattering. Don't worry yourself about it, Ginny told me that her brother was a Prefect and Gryffindor Quidditch captain back when he was at Hogwarts. It's possible, let's hope you get there._

_I've retreated to my mum's muggle television now to give me some entertainment. Most of it's pretty predictable, you should come over and watch with me. It's actually quite interesting._

John saw that as an invitation straight away. They always relied on each other to keep one another company, and Clara sounded bored, so it was up to him to come to the rescue. He went over to their "muggle money pot" and took out a couple of coins. Then he ran to the local off-license to get them some snacks.

Five minutes later, John was standing outside Clara's door holding a bag of triangular shaped snacks called 'Doritos' and a six-pack of cans containing a drink called Pepsi. Clara answered the door, and he could just see her happiness as soon as her eyes met him.

"Oh, John! I'm so happy you're here!" Clara exclaimed, before nearly pushing him over with a hug.

"Woah, there, Clara. You're beginning to be really clingy," John said, before entering her house.

They went straight into the living room, and John instantly threw himself on the couch. Clara sat down lightly beside him, and picked up a plastic thing with buttons on it. She pressed one of the buttons, and the television set turned on, projecting moving images.

"I love this. I can swear that this the muggles' own form of magic. It just instantly turns on," Clara said.

"Wow, yeah. I wonder how it would do it without magic," John said in awe.

"Right, let's see what's on. Hmm, Titanic's good. We could watch that," Clara suggested.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Clara," John said.

So they began to watch the tragic movie that was Titanic. Clara had to explain a couple of things at first, but eventually, they just sat, watching in silence and eating their snacks.

"You know, if they swapped hair colour, it could be Weasley and Malfoy," John said beginning to laugh.

"Oh, yeah, I never noticed that before," Clara said, also laughing.

By the end of it, John could here Clara's quiet sobbing over the background music of the credits. He leaned over to her, wiped a tear away.

"Hey, that guy didn't actually die. You don't have to cry," John said, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, I know that. But it's just so tragic... And beautiful at the same time," Clara said.

John sighed. "Well, I think it's enough of that sloppy stuff for one day," he said. "It's just making everyone cry."

"Sorry, John," Clara said.

They heard the front door open, before Clara's mother's voice. "I'm home, Clara!"

"We're in the living room, mum!" Clara called.

Her mother strolled into the room, and was suprised when she saw John. "Oh, hello, John," she said. "It's nice to see you."

"Hello. Thanks, you too," John said.

Mrs Oswald's eyebrows raised in confusion when she saw that her daughter had been crying. "Are you okay, Clara?"

"Yeah. We were just watching Titanic on the TV," Clara said with a laugh.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll go make us all something to eat," Mrs Oswald said, before turning and leaving for the kitchen.

"Is it me, or did she get the wrong idea?" John asked.

"I really hope not," Clara said.

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><p><strong>Woops... :P<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya guys! Hope you all had a good Christmas :) Tis the season to be jolly :P Please remember to review, fave and follow, coz it really helps with me with my writing. Especially reviews, coz I want to know how to improve because I haven't been getting that many views :/ Just want to mention my friend AirbourneKites, who is currently writing an amazing Dramione story called "Tell Me." Go check it out :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - Clara<strong>

Boredom... That word basically summed up this Summer Holiday for Clara. With the camping trip cancelled, it really left her with nothing. That was the trip that she looked forward to every year. Luckily for her, though, her mum was taking a week of work for her, so hopefully, she would take her out to Diagon Alley once Clara received her Hogwarts letter.

Clara had just woken up on the bright, sunny morning of the last day of July. She had to squint as she woke up with the sun on her face; she had forgotten to close her blind the night before.

She ran down the stairs to the kitchen, feeling oddly positive about the day ahead, although she knew she would probably be disappointed. Her day would probably again consist of letter-writing to John and lounging in her room. It was fun as it sounded.

"Morning mum, dad," she said, sitting down at the table.

Her father looked at her above the Daily Prophet he was reading. "Good morning, Clara," he said, before returning his eyes to the newspaper.

"What's in the news today, dad?" Clara asked, genuinely wondering what was going on in the world of Magic.

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, same old tosh, to be honest. There's an article about Cornelius Fudge's sudden hatred for Dumbledore, and loads more images of Harry Potter. It's a bit annoying really. But you're never interested in the news, so why are you asking?" her dad asked, with suspicion in his eyes.

"I'm allowed to ask every now and again, aren't I? Besides, I haven't heard about it in a while, but it sounds like nothing's changed so it doesn't matter," Clara said.

"Is that an owl?" Clara's mum interrupted as she looked out of the window.

Clara looked out as well and noticed the small fluff ball in the sky that was gradually coming nearer to their house. "Yeah, I think so. It might be my Hogwarts letter," Clara said.

"Oohh, you might be a Prefect. Wouldn't that be wonderful, Dave, if our only child became a Prefect?" her mum said with excitement.

"She's not our only child, Ellie," he replied.

There was a silence in the kitchen where the two females stared at Dave Oswald with such a look of horror, that someone would have thought there had been a murder. Clara saw the tears well up in her mother's eyes, before her dad left the room.

"He did not just say that," Clara said, still in shock. She went over to her mother and comforted her.

"Oh, I think he did. I should have thought before I said that," her mum said, shaking.

Clara let go of her mum and shook her head. "Can that owl just come already!" she shouted.

She stood at the window with her back to her sobbing mother and waited for her letter to come. Once it finally reached their kitchen window, she quickly untied the letter and then ran up to her room, without looking back.

She threw the letter, already feeling the badge she was waiting for in the envelope, onto her bed. She didn't really care about that at that moment.

Why did he have to bring that stupid subject up? Just as they were anticipating Clara's possible achievement, he had to bring up something he knew would damage the mood. It had been three years since the miscarriage and her parents had still not gotten over it. Especially him.

They didn't even know the gender or the name, and yet they mourned over a being that they hadn't even met. It did Clara's head in because sometimes it was like they cared for that unborn baby more than they did for her.

"_Clara could be a Prefect? Oh yeah, who cares, we have a dead, unborn child to think about instead,_" she said, mocking her father's voice.

She wanted to scream, but she knew it wasn't a good thing to do. Snoopy neighbours were the last thing all of them wanted.

She decided that she should calm down. She was being a little childish, but she couldn't help it. Her dad had ruined everything. She wanted her father to be proud of her for once, because that was always just her mother. But it looked like she would have to wait a lot longer to see that happen.

She sat down on her bed and looked at the envelope. She remembered her eleventh birthday, and the joy that her Hogwarts letter had brought her then. She was so young then, and life seemed so much simpler. Now it was just spiralling into a bombshell.

She finally grabbed it, and tore it open. She tipped the envelope upside-down and saw the badge fall onto her bed. She picked it up and admire the shiny, blue shield. The Ravenclaw Eagle was in the middle, behind a large, silver "P" which stood for "Prefect".

She did smile, because it was something she was wanting for quite a while. The badge felt quite heavy in her hand, so she put it down on her bed-side table. Then she read the rest of the letter.

It was the same as usual, apart from the booklist. She only needed two new books because she had the rest from the previous year. Those two were "The Standard Book of Spells Grade 5" and "Defensive Magical Theory".

Once she'd finished reading and thinking it through, Clara decided that it was time to face up to her parents. She picked up her Prefect badge once more and went downstairs to her mum and dad.

Her mum was still in the kitchen, but now sitting at the table. She was no longer crying, but she was tapping her fingers on the table, and still looking extremely upset. She looked up when Clara entered and gave her a warm smile. "I'm so sorry, Clara," she said sadly.

"It's okay, mum. It's not your fault," Clara said, walking over to her mum and giving her a proper hug. She then sat down beside her.

"So?" her mum asked. "Did you get it?"

Clara paused for a minute, before cracking a big smile. "Yeah, I did."

"Oh, that is great, darling! I'm so proud of you!" her mum said, hugging her once again.

"Yeah, I wish dad could say the same..." Clara said.

"Oh, Clara. I'm sure he'll be proud of you. He always has been. Do you remember when he cried at your first school play when you were five?"

Clara laughed. "Yeah, but it was different then. He hasn't been the same since... you know."

Her mum nodded. "I know, sweetheart. But he's been through a lot. He still thinks it was his fault."

"Why?" Clara asked in confusion. Surely a natural miscarriage couldn't have been her father's fault.

"He thinks he stressed me out too much with his excitement. It's rubbish, of course. These things just happen," her mum said shaking her head. "Let's see the badge then."

Clara gave her mum the badge to look at. She smiled instantly when she saw it. "Oh, those were the days. Oh my stars, mine was just the same. I still have it, somewhere..."

Clara laughed. "Oh mum. I love you."

"I love you too," her mum said.

"I'm going to go to dad now,"

Clara stood up, and after giving her mum one last smile, went to look for her dad.

He wasn't in the living room, or in any other room in the house. There was one room she hadn't checked, though, and that was the garage. She slowly opened the door, and she felt the chill as she entered. It was colder than all the other rooms, despite it being Summer.

She instantly noticed the small light in the corner, and then heard her father's crying. It was not something she heard often, but when she did, it broke her heart.

"Dad?" she said, before she spotted him sitting on the floor beside her old cot. He had his head in his hands.

"Where did I go wrong, Clara? I used to be such a good father to you, and look at me now," he said.

Clara slowly walked over and sat down next to him. "Dad, it's not your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself for the miscarriage,"

He looked up at her. "But... I shouldn't have forceful about it all. When we found out your mum was pregnant, I was so happy. I hadn't felt like that in years, and I just wanted to show her how much I cared. I guess, now I've turned into the opposite because of it," he said.

"It's okay, dad. I understand," Clara said.

"I'm so sorry, Clara. I should have realised that what I have is more important than what I've lost."

"Well, from now on you can do that," Clara said. "I want the old dad back."

He nodded. "I love you. And I'm proud of where you are now. You've grown into such a wonderful person. I'm sorry I never acknowledged that."

"Well, it's good you have, because look what I got just now." She showed him the Prefect badge.

Her dad laughed loudly. "Oh, Clara. You are amazing." He stood up quickly, and then gave her a hand. "Right, I'm going to make it up to you. Come on."

They left the garage and went into the kitchen to where Ellie was.

"Our daughter is a Prefect," he announced loudly. "And we are going to have one hell of a celebration about it!"

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><p><strong>WOOHAYY! Dave Oswald has seen the light. Isn't that great. Sorry this chapter is a little depressing, but it's good to get a range of emotions outa ya :P Pretty long chapter though, but that's a good thing :D<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Woop dee woop! Got that Summer over. Now we're skipping wayyy ahead to the first of September and everyone's going back to Hogwarts (because Hogwarts is Home, yea? ;) ) Remember - review, fave, follow. I think that's becoming my policy or something, all though I don't think it's working :P Ah, well, it's fun :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing.**

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><p><strong> Chapter 6 - John<strong>

"I still don't get why they didn't make you a Prefect, John," Clara said for the millionth time. They were in Mrs Oswald's muggle car on the way to King's Cross, and John, Clara and her dad were all squished in the back while the two mums were sitting in the spacious front chatting away as they usually did.

John rolled his eyes yet again, and looked out of the window. "Honestly, Clara. It doesn't matter. It'll probably be some nerd like Anthony Goldstein or Terry Boot. And anyway, you know me, I'm not responsible," John said.

"Being clumsy doesn't make you irresponsible, you know. And stop putting yourself down, those two boys are no where near better than you," Clara said.

"Clara, calm down. I think we've had this conversation about five times now. If John's cool with it, then so be it," Clara's dad said.

John like Clara's dad a lot more now. He was a lot more joyful. Clara had told him what had happened the day she got her Prefect badge, and he knew that it had affected the family for the better. The Oswald's now seemed a lot more like they had been when he first met them.

"Thanks, Mr O," John said with a grateful smile.

"Mate, call me Dave. You make me sound so old by calling me Mr Oswald. Same with Ellie," Dave said.

"Okay," John said. That actually made life a whole lot easier.

Shortly afterwards, they arrived at King's Cross train station, as they did every year. They had about half an hour to get onto the Hogwarts Express, so they were in no hurry. Ellie found a parking space for the car, and then they made their way onto the platforms.

One by one, they passed through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and were astonished to see how crowded it already was. "Why is it always like this? I've never seen the other side of this platform because there are always so many crowds," John's mum said.

"Well, I guess there are many parents who love their children out there, including you," John said with a smile, before hugging his mum. He was a lot taller than her, and it still didn't feel right.

"You definitely have your father's height, John. You won't stop growing. And your muscles..." his mum said.

"Now, now, mum. Let's not get all upset now. I'll see you soon, okay?" John said.

She nodded, and then kissed his cheek. She then said goodbye to Clara. John approached Dave and Ellie.

"Keep on it, John. You're doing well," Dave said. "Don't worry about not being a Prefect. I wasn't one either, and don't tell Clara, but it's a hell of a lot more fun." He winked.

John laughed. "Alright, thanks. See you."

"Now, you look after my daughter, okay? I'm relying on you, big man," Ellie said.

"I will, Ellie. Bye," John said, giving her a hug.

As he and Clara made their way to the train, they both turned back and waved to their parents. They were all like one big family. It was amazing.

"Right, we're going to have to find Saxon somewhere. I told him we'd sit with him, app-"

"Uh, John. I have to sit in the Prefect Carriage. I have to do patrols and stuff apparently. I'm really sorry, I'd much rather stay with you, but I have no choice," Clara said. He could see how apologetic she was.

"Oh, yeah, that's okay. I'll walk with you if you want. We have loads of time."

They walked down to the front of the train, dodging in between many students who were coming onto the train. John decided to make conversation before they had to part.

"You're dad's great now. He's like the father I've never had," John said.

"That's great. I think the past three years has just been a blip. He was really great before what happened," Clara said.

"Yeah, I bet he was. You're very lucky. I wish I had both my parents," John said, trying to imagine what it would be like if his dad was still alive.

"Aww, John. Perhaps your mum will marry again or something. You could still have a step dad. I know it's probably not the same, but you know," Clara said.

"Hmmm, yeah I guess. But I don't really see my mum re-marrying any time soon. But I can hope," John said.

They reached the Prefect carriage, and John really didn't want Clara to go.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. I don't think we'll have to be in there for the whole journey so I'll come and find you later, okay," Clara said.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you then," John said. They hugged, and then he made his way back down the train as she entered the Prefect carriage.

In truth, he was upset that he hadn't become a Prefect only because Clara had. He knew that this would limit the time they spent together, and that made him sad. Of course he was happy for her, because she was happy, but he was also not happy. She was clearly upset about it too, but there was nothing they could do.

He felt the train begin to move as he walked in search of Saxon. They had decided to call him by his second name as it often caused confusion. People usually didn't know they were talking about Harry Potter or Harry Saxon.

Finally, he found him after what felt like hours of walking. He just happened to be on the other side of the train.

"At last, mate. Where the hell have you been? Where's Clara?" Saxon asked him as he entered.

"I had to take her to the Prefect carriage, because she is now a goddamned Prefect," John said.

"Oh dear, that's not good. We'll have to behave, otherwise we'll get detentions from her," Saxon said. before the two of them laughed, fist bumped and hugged.

"It's good to see you, man," John said.

"Yeah, you too."

"How was your Summer?" John asked him.

"Oh, you know. We went to the Lake District, it was a little boring. But yeah, I dunno what to make of it. I've been worrying about You Know Who," Saxon said awkwardly.

"Why? It might not even be true, you know," John said.

"Yeah, but if it is, my parents might break out of Azkaban. And that is definitely bad, because then they might come for me and either kill me, or make me like them. To be honest, I'd rather they killed me," Saxon said.

"Woah, man. How do you know? They might've forgotten about you," John said.

"Parents don't just forget about their children, John. I doubt that they've forgotten me," Saxon said.

"Hmm... That is bad. What about your adoptive parents?" John asked.

"Yeah, I thought about that too, and I just hope they're not found by mine, because if they do, they're dead,"

"Let's just hope He Who Must Not Be Named, hasn't returned then," John said.

"Yeah, but I don't think Potter is lying."

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><p><strong>Man, this is so dark. But, hey, so is the original story :P<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**As you can see, this story is really going in deep. It's not all like that though, it's just coz that's how the book was. Good old Voldemort just loves to make the world a better place :P Please review, fave and follow, coz I'd be so grateful. Thanks to everyone who's read so far, I hope you're all enjoying it and that you're keeping up with the story. I'm happy when you're happy :D **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 - Clara<strong>

Clara entered the Prefects Carriage and was overwhelmed about how spacious it was. There were no separate compartments like in the rest of the train, but the seating was the same. It was as if the walls and doors had been knocked away, which they probably had.

"Clara."

Clara turned in the direction of the voice, and realised that it was Anthony Goldstein. She laughed. "Hey, Anthony, fancy seeing you here," she said.

"What?" he asked confusedly.

"Oh, don't worry. Me and John were betting on who it would be and I said it would be you," Clara said.

"Oh okay, thanks, I guess. You better sit down, I think the Head Boy and Head Girl are about to do their speech," Anthony said, patting the space beside him.

Clara sat down, a little awkwardly, but she didn't make it obvious, and looked up to see the new Head Boy and Girl. The boy, who was a Ravenclaw, she recognised as Roger Davies. She knew him because he was the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and was one of the champion's dates to the Yule Ball the year before. The girl was A Gryffindor.

"Hello Prefects, old and new. Welcome to the Prefects carriage. My name is Alicia Spinnet, and I am the Head Girl, and this is Roger Davies, the Head Boy," the Gryffindor girl said. Clara recognised her name, she was one of the Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Yes, hello. Now, we have been asked by Professor Dumbledore to give you a talk on how to be a good Prefect. Firstly, you have to be fair, and not take away house points or give detentions for nothing. Anyone caught abusing their power will be in a lot of trouble. Remember, you're still students like the rest of your peers," Roger said.

"Today, we'd like you to walk around every now and then, making sure everything is alright. There may be some nervous first years that need comforting, so make sure that they feel especially welcome. We would ask you to stay here for a couple of hours so that Roger and I can get to know you all better," Alicia said.

With that, the two Head pupils sat down together in their own bench, and left everyone to their own conversations.

Clara noticed a familiar face sitting a few benches down. Anthony was talking to another Hufflepuff Prefect from an older year group, so she got up and went over to the two new Gryffindor Prefects.

"Hey, Ron and Hermione," Clara said as she reached them. She was genuinely suprised that it was Ron. She thought Harry Potter would have been made Prefect.

"Oh, Clara. You're a Prefect! That's such good news!" Hermione said.

"Hi," Ron said.

Clara sat down opposite them. "How are you guys? Did you have a good Summer?" She asked.

"Yeah it was alright. Same as usual to be honest," Hermione said.

"Mm, same here. Our camping trip got cancelled, though. John's mum said it was not worth taking the risk with all the news about You Know Who," Clara said.

"I guess that's fair enough. It's good to know some people believe Harry. Poor guy, he's gone through so much lately," Ron said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you heard about the Dementor attack, right? They reckon Harry's making that up too, and that he was just showing off his Patronus to the muggles. They do realise that that sounds nothing like Harry?" Hermione said.

"Wow... Yeah, I saw the Daily Prophet. It's just disgusting what they write in there. They're saying he's gone mental, when in truth, it's Fudge who's gone mental," Clara said.

"Exactly. Why does no one see that?" Hermione said.

"Because everyone at the Ministry is too bloody scared to say anything. Dad told me that a few people have lost their jobs because they were speaking up," Ron said.

"It's outrageous..." Clara began, but she noticed that Roger and Alicia had approached them.

"Hello, we've just come over to say hi. Okay, here we have two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw," Roger said, inspecting their badges. "What year groups are you in?" he asked.

"We're all in our fifth year," Hermione said.

"Ah, good. So you're all new to this. It's really great fun. You get to stay out and patrol when everyone else is in bed," he said.

"Yeah, sounds great..." Clara said, forcing a smile.

"I think I know you two already," Alicia said, indicating towards Ron and Hermione. "Because you're Harry Potter's friends, Ron and Hermione. But what's your name?" she asked Clara.

"Clara Oswald."

"Ahh, yes. John Smith told me that you were interested in Quidditch. Will you finally be trying out this year? We need a Chaser and a Beater," Roger said.

"Yeah, I am. I think I'll be going for Chaser, to be honest. I don't think I'd be very good at being a Beater," Clara said.

"Ha, okay. Well, it was nice to meet you all. You're free to go out and patrol the corridors now if you want, but we would ask that you come back at about three o'clock. We'll be having lunch," Roger said, before making his way over to another table, Alicia behind him.

"Never really liked him," Ron said, once Roger was out of earshot. "He talks a lot, and gets all he girls. He was the one that took Fleur to the Yule Ball, and that's why I was humiliated by her," Ron said.

"He was obviously quicker than you then. It took you an age to ask anyone," Hermione said.

Clara realised that they were about to start bickering, as they usually did. She didn't really want to have to sit there and witness it.

"Yeah, I'm going to go for a "patrol". I'll see you guys later," she said, before getting up and leaving the Prefect carriage.

She was automatically relieved once she left. She didn't know if she liked the Prefect carriage much, and so she felt a lot more comfortable to be back in the normal part of the train. She wasn't really set on patrolling, what she really wanted to do was find John and Saxon, so she started down the train.

She checked every compartment, but they weren't in the first few. About half way through, she still hadn't seen them, but her search was interrupted.

"Hey, you stupid little toad. You never get in the way of a Prefect. You're lucky you're not in a House yet, because I would have been taking away points. I'll have to punish you in some other way instead. Hold him, Crabbe," said the voice of Draco Malfoy.

Clara saw as Crabbe grabbed an innocent first year boy. Goyle was just sniggering. Malfoy was standing in front of the scene with his back to her. He got out his wand.

"Malfoy, stop," Clara said.

He turned around and his eyes narrowed when he saw her. "Stay out of this, Oswald. This boy got in my way on purpose," Malfoy said, before beginning to turn around.

"And I bet you're overreacting. Didn't you hear what they said earlier? You're not supposed to abuse your power. And in case you didn't know, violence is not an acceptable form of punishment. I'm sure you wouldn't want to lost your Prefect badge on the first day, would you?" Clara said.

Malfoy sighed and glared at her. "Come on Crabbe and Goyle. Let's go and find Zabini," he said, before the three of them shoved past her.

"I think that'll be ten points from Slytherin each, for your attitude and attempted assault, Crabbe and Goyle. I don't want to have to warn you again," Clara said.

She didn't turn around, but she walked away before anyone else could get another word in on the subject. She laughed. She loved being a Prefect already. She wasn't exactly sure she was allowed to take points away this early in the year, but it was funny. It's a shame she didn't see their faces afterwards.

She came across a compartment which contained Harry Potter, Ginny, Neville and Luna Lovegood. She stuck her head in to say hello.

"Hiya, hope you all had good Summers. Sorry to hear about everything, Harry. If it helps, I just want to let you know that I believe you. It's not something I want to believe, but I'm sure you're not making it up," she said.

"Thanks, Clara," Harry said.

"Is that a Prefect badge?" Neville asked.

Clara looked down at the blue badge that was pinned to her top. "Yes, I guess it is," Clara said, awkwardly.

"Oh, nice one. Ron and Hermione are Prefects too. Did you see them?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, I was just talking to them. But they started arguing about stuff, so I left," Clara said.

Ginny laughed. "Sounds like them."

"Yeah, anyway, I have to get on. Have any of you seen John, by the way?" Clara asked.

Everyone shook their heads, so she thanked them and left to continue her search for John and Saxon.

Eventually she found them right near the other end of the train. When she entered the compartment, the two boys smiled.

"I forgot how long this train was," she said.

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><p><strong>Hope I got across some of Clara's control freak-ness in there. I thought it would be fun to get her to take away some house points from Crabbe and Goyle :D<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey people. Some of you may have noticed that I just changed the name of this story to "Hogwarts is Hope." I hope you'll all agree that this name is a lot better than the other one. I just made that one up because I had no idea. But the new also fits with the previous story too. Thanks for all the support that has been given so far, please, for any of you who haven't done so already - review, fave and follow! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 - John<strong>

The trolley lady came by their compartment a lot later than usual, but John realised that it must have been because they didn't usually this far back down the train. They had all bought themselves some Chocolate Frogs, and John and Saxon bought some Bertie Blott's Every Flavour Beans, and a Pumpkin Pasty each. Clara didn't get anything else because she said she had lunch in the Prefect carriage at three.

"Damn it. I got Dumbledore again. These cards are too common. I don't even know why I collect them anymore," Saxon said as he opened his Chocolate Frog.

"Haha, sucker. I've got Godric Gryffindor. I don't have him yet," John said.

"Honestly, guys. Does it really matter?" Clara said. "I didn't even look at my card."

"Alright, miss Prefect. Calm down. We're not looking for a detention," John said.

"Yeah, anyway. Tell us about the Prefect carriage. Spill the beans. But not literally, I want to eat these," Saxon said, picking up his Bertie Blott's box.

Clara laughed. "You're hilarious, Saxon. It's really not that different to the rest of the train, to be honest. The only difference is that it's all opened up. There are no compartments," Clara explained.

"Oh, so, no bar?" Saxon asked. Clara shook her head. "I will kill Jenkins. I was convinced for a year that there was a bar in there. But he was just having me on."

At that moment, the compartment door slid open and a girl with an amused expression and bushy hair (even more than Hermione's) walked in.

"River, what the hell are you doing here?" Saxon asked in confusion.

"Oh, Harry. Am I not allowed to come and say hello? Who are your friends?" She asked as she eyed John and Clara.

"This is John Smith and Clara Oswald, Ravenclaw fifth years. Do you have a problem?" Saxon asked with raised eyebrows, as if he couldn't be bothered with her anymore.

John noticed that she kept looking a him with an odd expression he didn't understand.

"Not at all. I just didn't realise you had such young friends. Young and hot in some cases," River said, before winking at John.

He could feel himself beginning to sweat a little, so he decided to take himself out of the situation. "You know, I'm going to take a quick trip to the toilet. I'll be back in a minute," he said, before pushing past River.

"You better be," she said.

Thankfully for John, the toilet compartments were near the front of the train, so if he took his time, River would be long gone when he got back.

In truth, he'd only known her literallly two seconds, and he was scared of her already. She seemed like a massive flirt, and people like that made him nervous, especially if they flirted with him.

The male toilet was luckily empty, so he hid in there for about five minutes. Then he flushed the toilet, washed his hands and slowly opened the door. Thankfully, no one was waiting ouside, so he was clear to head back.

Untill a few compartments down, when River jumped out at him. He jumped back and made a noise in horror.

She laughed hysterically. "Oh, sweetie," she said. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"What do you want?" John asked her

"Why would you think I want something? Just because I'm in Slytherin? Because that is very stereotypical," River said.

"No, of course not because you're in Slytherin. It's because you've been creeping me out since we first looked at each other, which I remind you, was about five minutes ago," John said.

"Hmm... Maybe because I like you." River stroked his muscley chest. "Maybe, because I think you're extremely good looking," she said, getting closer and closer.

"Okay, goodbye. I have not enjoyed our pervy little encounter here. I hope I never see you again," he said quickly, before literally running away down the corridor.

He didn't stop until he got back to the compartment.

"That River girl has some sort of mental problem, I swear," John said loudly as he entered.

"Tell me about it. She's in my year and I have half my classes with her. She's a nightmare. Once in our third year, we had to pair up in Transfiguration and she genuinely turned my pencil case into a frickin' frog. Like a muggle version of a witch," Saxon said.

"I remember that actually," John said laughing. "I can believe that she did that as well."

"I think she knows that you're weak, John. She seems like someone who is very controlling," Clara said. Her eyes were narrowed, and she didn't look too happy.

"Hey, I am not weak," John said sternly. He began flexing his muscles to prove it.

"No, not like that, you dimbo. I mean, emotionally. You find it very hard to push people away, even when it becomes too much for you. Remember last year, when you helped that second year boy when his books fell down the stairs. You had to ask me to tell him to leave you alone after he wouldn't keep thanking you for weeks," Clara said.

"Basically, what she's saying in girl language, is that you need to keep away from River before it's too late," Saxon said.

"Since when did you speak girl language?" John said.

"It's three. I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can. See you two later," Clara said, before leaving the compartment.

"I think she fancies you, you know," Saxon said.

"Who?" John said quickly.

"Well, River of course. Who else?"

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><p><strong>I was going to bring her in somehow :P So how are you liking the story so far? Review and tell me :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, River's been such a pain already and she's only taken a few lines of this fanfic. Well, she's young, she may mature one day. We'll see. I'm going to include more Doctor Who characters from now on, so then hopefully it will balance out the crossover a little more. Thanks for everyone who has supported so far. Without you I would have no faith in this story. Please review and tell me what you think, as well as fave and follow.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or Doctor Who.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 - Clara<strong>

Clara walked back to John and Saxon's compartment miserably. It had been a pretty awful lunch with the Prefects.

Firstly, she was incovieniently placed across from Malfoy, which was very bad after what had happened in the corridor earlier that day. Also, it was only the fifth year Prefects who turned up, which made it even more awkward.

The one good thing though, was that she got to sit next to Ron and Anthony so she could make conversation with someone.

"Okay, now that we're all seated, can I just say thanks for coming and tuck in. First course is Carrot and Honey soup," Alicia said. Then her and Roger got out their wands and levitated the bowls of soup onto the table in the correct places.

"Why did they have to organise the seating?" Ron whispered to Clara. "I don't want to have to look at that git while I'm eating. But at least I don't have to sit next to him like Hermione," Ron said. He was talking about Malfoy, who was now gently slurping soup of his spoon.

He looked very uncomfortable, and was making no effort to his the fact that he was leaning away from Hermione.

"What a twat," Clara said, a little more loudly than she's hoped as she glared at Malfoy.

"What was that Oswald?" Malfoy said after finishing his mouthful.

"Oh, so your ears do work then? Well you should have used them when Roger and Alicia gave their speech earlier," Clara said.

"You know, Oswald. My perfectly good ears have heard some things about you and your family that would rather not be said at this table. But if you push me, it may accidently slip out," Malfoy said.

Clara's hard face dropped. What had he heard?

"What?" She said.

"You know, I think that's enough. Let's talk about something else. Ernie, how about you tell us something about yourself," Roger said.

Ernie started talking about himself, but Clara didn't listen. She just glared at Malfoy.

"Whatever you did, you shouldn't have got on the wrong side of Malfoy," Ron whispered. "He might ruin you now."

"Let him try," was all Clara said, trying to stay strong. But she was afraid of what Malfoy had up his sleeve. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything too bad.

"You're turn, Clara," Alicia said.

"What?"

"Tell us about yourself. Like blood status, where your from, what your parents do," Alicia explained.

"Well...uh, I'm a half blood. My dad's half blood, my mum is muggleborn." Malfoy sniggered and she gave him an evil look. "I'm from Blackpool. Both my parents work at the Ministry. My mum works in the International Magical Office of Law and my dad works in Portkey control," Clara said. She realised that she had said too much.

"Thanks, Clara. Now you, Anthony," Roger said.

"Wow your parents have such cool jobs," Ron said.

"Yeah, I guess. My dad originally wanted to work in the British Quidditch Leagues Department, but he didn't get it, so he hates his job. Although I wouldn't mind working with Portkeys. I think it would be pretty fun," Clara said.

She thought about her mother, who, like herself, wanted to travel. That's why she worked in an International office. The only thing was, she didn't get to travel as regularly as she wanted to. A lot of jobs seemed so disappointing. Especially to her parents.

When it was Malfoy's turn to speak, everyone could see that he wasn't going to hide anything.

"I am pure blood. I live in our Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. My parents don't have proper full time jobs because we're loaded, but my dad does help run the family Apothecary. My father pays a lot of money to the Ministry, and he even thought about starting a charity for the Weasley family, but then he thought it wise not waste his money on filth, " he said.

Ron stood up suddenly and glared at Malfoy with such hatred in his eyes, that one would think he was going to kill him. "You say one more word against my family, Malfoy, and you won't have any of that pure blood left when I'm done with you," he said, pointing his finger at Malfoy.

"Okay... Well, it was nice to have you all here, but now it's time for you all to go and spend the rest of your journey with your friends. Keeping looking out though, Prefects, because that's your job now," Roger said a little nervously.

Clara stood up quickly and left as soon as she could after that.

Now she was walking back to John and Saxon. She only realised that Malfoy was following her when she got to the compartment.

"Oh, just piss off, Malfoy," she said, before entering the compartment and shutting the door behind her. "I think Malfoy's come to play," she said to John and Saxon.

Just as she sat down, the compartment door slid back open and Malfoy appeared.

"I'll tell you what I know, Oswald. And you're not going go like it either, Smith. My father likes all the gossip. He once heard that two certain people where having an affair. And those two people where Dave Oswald and Samantha Smith," he said.

"That is bullshit! Get out of our compartment now!" Clara screamed, before she shoved Malfoy out and closed the door.

Then she slowly turned around and looked at John, who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"What the actual..." He said.

"I have no clue," Clara said. "But it better not be true."

"Come on. Of course it isn't. Malfoy is just messing. He's a prick, he does the whole "my father said this about you" thing a lot. And it's usually rubbish," Saxon said, trying to calm down the situation.

The thought whirled around in Clara's head for a long time after that. She thought about the state her father had been in after the miscarriage. The way he had neglected her and her mother. For some reason, it could make sense. But she didn't want it to. She would have to talk to him alone about it next time she saw him, because sending an owl would be too risky. If her mum saw it, she would be heartbroken.

The rest of the journey to Hogwarts dragged on, but eventually they got there. They had already changed into their robes when the train came into Hogsmede station. The three of them didn't talk much as they rode the carriages up to the castle, and when they sat down in the Great Hall, Clara was happy that there was so much noise. The silence was killing her.

"Are you okay, Clara?" John asked.

"I have no idea, John," she said glumly.

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><p><strong>One he'll of a first day for Clara there, huh? It just goes to show that being a Prefect isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Review if you want cookies :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Man, there's so much stuff going down. It's a he'll of a lot of fun to write about though. There's so much more in stall to come as well! Yay! Please remember to review, fave and follow, coz I'd really appreciate it and it would help me a lot. Thanks to the support so far :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 - John.<strong>

_"What the actual hell," _John thought to himself. He knew Malfoy was a git but this was absolutely insane. Why would he make something like that up? Probably because he knew it would freak them out for a bit.

He looked over at Clara. She was looking extremely miserable, and this confused John a lot. What Malfoy said wasn't true, so why she so upset by it. Perhaps she knew something that he didn't.

"Are you okay, Clara?" John asked her.

"I have no idea, John," she said.

"Why? It's obvious that Malfoy was just trying to wind us up. You shouldn't think anything of it," he said, trying to make her feel better. But it obviously wasn't working.

"But that's the thing. I am thinking about it and I probably will be for ages now. I'm trying to puzzle it all together and hope that it isn't true. It's alright for you, your mum isn't married," Clara said. She was stressing out a lot.

"Woah, you think I'd be happy with it? My mum has always been devoted to my dad, even after he died, so I wouldn't believe for a second that she's fallen for your dad. Besides, we haven't noticed anything odd, have we?" He said.

"I guess not, but with the whole thing about my dad and his mood for the past few years got me thinking. I guess he still loved my mum then, but not like before," Clara said thinking.

"You're thinking too much, Clara. You need to calm down. It's probably nothing," John said. And then as if on cue, the new first years began to file into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. Hopefully, this would take Clara's mind off things.

The Sorting Ceremony was pretty boring as usual, as John didn't know anyone. He clapped for all the new Ravenclaws, but didn't bother with the others. He was starting to get hungry now, and he just wanted to eat. Luckily, Dumbledore invited them to shortly afterwards.

"You know, John. You're right, I'm being a miserable sod. But look, we're back at Hogwarts. Isn't that fantastic?" Clara said with broad smile.

"I always heard that girls had mood swings, but I wasn't really expecting it from you," John said.

"Why not? I am girl, after all," Clara said.

"Don't worry. It's good to have happy Clara back though. But with regret, I have to remind you that it's our OWL year, so it may not be as amazing as you think," John said.

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about that. Ah, well," she said.

They tucked in to the their food and joined in with everyone else's jolly mood. It was a really great feast for John, as he fulfilled his hunger and had a good time. But when it was over, and all the food vanished, he was interested to see who the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was, along with everyone else.

"Do you reckon it's that one there? The woman in pink," Terry Boot said, pointing to a woman with toad-like features. She was wearing bright pink robes, and she had a disgusting matching handbag sitting on the table beside her.

"I hope not. She looks a bit... well, odd," John said, as he watched her look around the hall with a very cheesy smile. She seemed nice, but that was only down to the fact that she was a small, old lady, but there was something most of them didn't like about her already, and they weren't exactly sure what.

"I hope she has some other robes as well. Those ones make my eyes hurt," Clara said.

Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. He announced his usual welcome towards everyone, especially the first years, and then he went through some of the rules. They were pretty much the same as usual, so John didn't take much notice of them. Then the Headmaster introduced the new teachers. He started by mentioning that Hagrid was away and would be replaced by Professor Grubbly-Plank until he returned.

This puzzled many of them, making them wonder why Hagrid was away. But before they could start talking about it, Dumbledore swiftly moved on. He introduced the old, pink lady as Dolores Umbridge.

As Dumbledore was about to carry on, however, there was a small girly cough from behind him. "Hem, hem,"

Everyone looked at Professor Umbridge, as she was the one who had made the cough. She stood up as everyone looked, and with her sarcastic looking smile, she made her way in front of Dumbledore. She began a weird speech which John decided not to listen to. He turned over to Clara but she was intently listening to Umbridge. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

He looked back at Umbridge, and she was saying something about something being prohibited. She then finished, and then sat back down in her place at the table. Many people looked around uncertainly.

"What was that? I didn't listen," John said.

"I have no clue. But it didn't sound good. She's so patronising," Clara said.

"I think she's from the Ministry. I mean, she sounded like she was speaking on behalf of the Minister. That can't be good, right?" Anthony said.

"Oh dear," Clara said.

"Wait, what?" John asked. He wasn't catching any of this.

"Well, think about it, John. Fudge hates Dumbledore at the moment, so if he's bringing in his own staff, that can't be a good sign," Clara said.

"Hmm, I guess not," John said.

The feast ended and then all students had to make their way up to their Common Rooms. Clara, begin a Prefect, had the responsibility of gathering up all the Ravenclaw first years and leading them to the Common Room.

"I'll see you later," John said to Clara. He had to go up ahead with the rest of the students, so he slowly walked up the stairs, flowing with the crowd. It took a while, but he finally reached the Ravenclaw Common Room. There were a couple of armchairs left at the back of the room when he arrived, so he decided to take one and save the other for Clara.

Eventually, she came up along with her first years. She talked to them about the Common Room and the dormitories, while pointing to things. John watched her in admiration as she answered a question of one of the first years. She seemed like someone who would make an amazing teacher.

When she finished up with them, she looked around, and when her eyes met John's, she smiled and made her way over to him.

"Hello there, miss Prefect. You are amazing at that stuff with the little ones. You'd make a great teacher, you know," he said, as she sat down next to him.

"You think so?" she asked him.

"I know so," he said.

She smiled. "Thanks, John. You're such a nice guy. I think I'm going to call it a night, though. I am absolutely shattered, I need to get some rest," Clara said, before forcing herself out of her chair and sticking out her hands towards him. "You coming?"

He was confused for a second on what she meant, but then he realised he was being stupid and took her hand. "Yep," he said, getting up too.

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><p><strong>Aw...<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so this may be a little late when I post this, but I'm writing this chapter on New Year's Eve, so Happy New Year! I'm going to introduce another character now, some of you may like him, perhaps some not. You'll know when you hear the name :P Thanks for all the support so far, I appreciate it lots.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 - Clara<strong>

Clara and John left the Charms classroom and stood against the wall. "What do you have next?" she asked him.

"Divination, I think. Why I took that stupid subject, I have no clue," he said.

Clara laughed. "I'm glad I didn't. I have Ancient Runes now, so I better get a move on. I've got miles to walk to get there. I'll see you later," she said.

"Alright. See you in the Common Room at break," John said, before heading down the corridor the other way.

Clara turned and made her way to her Ancient Runes lesson which was inconveniently on the other side of the school. She had only received her timetable that morning and she was already experiencing some difficulties with it. She was now going to her second lesson of the school year.

Luckily, she only just reached the classroom on time, but it was okay, because she wasn't the last one there. She didn't sit down as soon as she arrived, because she knew Professor Babbling too well. She already knew that she was going to allocate everyone a place for them to sit in for the rest of the year.

"Ah, hello, miss Oswald. It's nice to see you again. I hope you are well. Now, let's see," She peered at the piece of parchment she was holding and dragged her finger along. "There you are. You'll be sitting next to Mr Pink for the rest of this year, just over there." The old Professor pointed at an empty seat next to Danny Pink.

Clara went over and sat down, throwing a smile at Danny. He was a Hufflepuff, and she didn't know him very well She only recognised the name, and knew him as someone in his year.

"Hello," she said, as she got out her stuff from her bag.

"Hi, I'm Danny Pink. I don't think we've properly met yet," he said, offering a hand.

"No we haven't. I'm Clara Oswald. It's nice to meet you, Danny. Did you have a good Summer?" she asked him. It was just the way to start a conversation at that time of year.

"It's was pretty amazing, actually. I went to Afghanistan on a charity trip with my parents. My parents are Muggles, and they like to work with charities, so we went over there and helped out some of the poor people over there. We found a small Wizarding community which was cool," he said.

"Oh, wow. That does sound amazing. I'm pretty jealous, actually, because my camping holiday was cancelled. Me and my friend's family go on a camping trip to Wales every year, but it just didn't happen this year. It's a shame, because it's really fun," Clara said.

She realised how quickly they had got talking, and how uncommon it was for her to click with someone like that. But as soon as the lesson properly began, they were silent again.

A little later on, Professor Babbling gave them a long passage of Runic scriptures to translate into English as closely as possible. "You may find some of the vocabulary you learn here useful in your exam, so take some notes," she said to them, as she used her wand to hand out the worksheets.

"Soo..." Danny said, as he looked down at the sheet. "Do you have any clue what this means?"

She looked over at him and laughed. "You don't know any of it? How will you get an OWL in this subject if you don't know anything at this stage?" Clara said, slightly astonished.

"I'm probably just going to wing it, to be honest. I only took it because my friend, Ernie, did. I've never really understood it, really," Danny said.

"Well, good luck to you, sir. Do you want me to help you, actually? I could help you understand if you want," Clara offered.

"That would be great, thanks," he said with a smile.

Clara looked at him closely. There was something about him that had a sort of charm. Clara couldn't quite get her head around it, because she had never had a feeling like it before.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly, before looking down at her work, and pretending to write something. She heard him chuckle quietly, and her cheeks flushed.

"Are you doing anything after dinner tomorrow?" she asked without looking up. When she did look up, he had his mouth open, but he looked like he wasn't sure how to respond.

"Uh, I think Ernie... I, I'm reading," he finally said after a lot of stuttering.

Clara was a little disappointed with his answer, because she knew he was making things up to avoid hanging out with her. She looked back down at her worksheet again and quietly said "Okay, then." She didn't even offer some other time, because she knew it wasn't worth it.

"Perhaps, some other time, though," Danny said shortly afterwards.

Clara raised her head slowly and felt the smile creep up along with it. "I'm looking forward to it," she said.

Then she finally got down to her work, pointing out many things to Danny along the way. She could see how much he was appreciating her help, and she couldn't help but feel satisfied.

At the end of the lesson, the work was marked as a class, and the two of them both got pretty good scores. Danny smiled broadly at his result.

"Thanks a million, Clara. I wouldn't have done it without you. I think I'm starting to get this," he said, as they stood up and started packing away.

"It's nothing. I'm happy to help If you're ever stuck with anything, you can come to me," Clara said

"Yeah, I definitely will," Danny said. He threw his bag over his shoulder, and looked over towards one of the other desks, where Ernie Macmillan was sitting. "I'll see you soon," he said to Clara, and after one last warm smile, he was gone.

Clara watched him as he went over to his friend, and an accidental smile came to her face. She decided to get out of there before she started fangirling too much. It was for her own good.

She headed for Ravenclaw Tower and bumped into John on the way there.

"Hey, Clara. You going to the Common Room?" he asked her once they'd bumped into each other.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah," she said, zoning out of her thoughts.

"You look really happy. What happened?" John asked suspiciously.

"Maybe I'm just having a good day," Clara said, before putting her arm around John and walking him up to Ravenclaw Tower.

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><p><strong>Look who's come along to damage the ship! Yeah, Danny Pink's here :P<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay! It's 2015! Hope everyone had good New Year parties and stuff :) And here I am, on January 1st, at 1 am, writing Fanfiction. Well, it's the life I choose, so don't judge me :P Thanks for all the support you've given already, I really appreciate the reviews I've had so far! Thank youuu!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who or Harry Potter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 - John<strong>

It had been a week since they had al returned to Hogwarts, and John had noticed that Clara was away at breaks and after lessons a lot more frequently than she had before. She had told him that she was practising Quidditch with Ginny, as they were both trying out for their House teams, but he found it odd how she never had any breaks.

He was okay with it, but he didn't understand why she didn't want him to come and watch, or practice with them. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team try-outs where the following day, and Clara was really intent on getting in. He wanted to support her all he could, but it was becoming increasingly hard.

But he was trying to think nothing of it, because he already knew she'd be great. He'd seen her play before, and thought that she was good enough to be on the team, so he had a lot of confidence for her.

But before all the Quidditch training began, John wanted to get a lot of his longer pieces of homework done and dusted. He was in the library, trying to complete his Charms essay for Friday, which was the day of the try-outs. He had already finished his Care of Magical Creatures assignment about Unicorns which was due in the following day. He was wondering if Clara was getting it all done, and whether she was struggling. He told her that if she needed any help, she could have it.

He was beginning to notice that many of his thoughts were revolving around Clara, and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. He had always been attached to her because she was the closest friend he had, but he was starting to think he was going too far. He shook his head to stop his stupid thinking, and got on with his assignment.

He sighed deeply, and sat back, looking around the library. It wasn't very full, there were only a few people sitting around reading, or writing. It was a peaceful atmosphere, and John liked it.

With the aid of his textbook, John finally completed his assignment within an hour. He was quite satisfied with it, and he was hoping to get a good mark. He packed away his stuff, and stood up.

That was when he spotted River Song, standing by a bookshelf, looking at books and twirling her hair. John froze for a second, his eyes wide open, before he began to tip-toe towards the exit of the library. Finally, when he couldn't see her anymore, he hurried out without a second glance back.

He was so happy that he had avoided a potentially awkward situation with River again. He couldn't stand her, and thankfully they hadn't seen each other before then. John decided it best to keep the fast pace until he reached Ravenclaw Tower just in case she decided to leave at that moment.

When he got there, he sighed with relief and sat down in one of the squishy armchairs by the fire. He took a while to overcome the fear of River, before he was okay again. He'd noticed that the date for their first Hogsmeade trip was pinned to the House board. It was on October the fifth, which was in a few weeks time. He was looking forward to it.

Clara arrived at the Common Room about an hour after John had. He had changed from his school robes into some normal ones, and was reading his Defensive Magical Theory textbook, finding no use from it whatsoever.

He looked up as she walked in, looking exhausted, with her hair dripping wet. "Hiya," he said. "Has it been raining?" He looked out of the window to see the clear, darkening sky outside.

"No. I had a bath after our practise. Wow, though. Ginny is really amazing at Quidditch. I'm half as good as her," she said with a small frown.

"Don't worry, man. She's in Gryffindor, so at the moment that doesn't matter. If you both get in the team, then that's great," John said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. The game's a lot harder than it looks though, isn't it?" she said with a smile.

John was a little confused. She'd never talked about Quidditch after her training before then, so why was she so keen to talk now? He was going along with it though, because it was one of their common interests that he enjoyed talking about.

"Yeah, definitely. You'll get used to it, though. I was a bit wobbly when I first started on the team, but it's okay now," he said.

"Oh, John," she said. "You always have such comforting words. Thanks. I wouldn't have the confidence to do this without you." She finally sat down beside him, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

It felt nice to have her against him. He put his arm around her, and they sat like that for a while. He noticed a few people looking at them and giggling, so he let her go quickly. He didn't want any rumours going around.

"What?" she said, looking up at him.

"Nothing. I just remembered something." He got up and ran to his dormitory. He genuinely had remembered that he still had her copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, which he had borrowed for something, but he also wanted to get away for a second. He got it out of his trunk, and then ran back down to the Common Room. When he got there, she was gone.

He noticed Anthony Goldstein looking at him, so John went over to him. "Where did she go?" he asked him.

"She went out. She looked a little pissed," he said, raising his eyebrows as if to say "I wouldn't mess with her."

"Thanks," John said, before jogging out of the Common Room. He ran down the staircase and looked around both ways down the corridor. He saw her walking the way towards the Grand Staircase, and chased after her.

"Clara! Where are you going?" he said, as he caught up with her.

"Away," was all she said.

John was puzzled. What had provoked this? He was beginning to understand her less and less. "What? Why?" he asked.

She stopped and turned around to look at him. "I'm just sick of people making stupid excuses," she said.

He then realised how obvious he had been when running away, and how it must have looked to her. He dragged his hand down his face, and then looked at her with guilt. "Look, it's not what you think. I have your book, I'd remembered that I still had it," he said, trying to set her mood back to normal.

"You don't get it do you?" she said, snatching the book off him. "I'm done with boys pissing people around."

She then walked off down the corridor again and didn't look back. John just watched her until she was out of sight and tried to figure out if what he'd done was really as bad as she made out. He hadn't moved for a couple of minutes as he thought, until a Hufflepuff Prefect from an older year came up to him.

"You're going to have to return to your Common Room now, buddy. It's nearly curfew," the Prefect said with a friendly smile.

John just looked at him, before saying "I'm not your buddy." He then turned on the spot and made his way back to the Common Room, but he didn't stop there. He went all the way up to his dormitory, and threw himself onto his bed, still not sure what he did wrong.

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><p><strong>Damn those mood swings, or was it something else that provoked it? You'll find out soon :P<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh no! They've had their first proper argument. It makes me feel sad to have to do that, but such is the real world, and Harry Potter is real of course. So not everything's going to be perfect, because I'm not one of those "everything's always happy" people. It makes the story more interesting when shit goes down :P Thank you to everyone who had reviewed, favourited and followed, because I am very grateful to you all :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own this awesome stuff.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 - Clara<strong>

It was Thursday morning, and the day of the Ravenclaw Quidditch try-outs. Clara was beginning to feel the nerves coming already, and she still had a whole day of lessons in front of her, before her try-outs.

She kept her head down, and when John came over and asked if her could sit next to her, she said "If you really want to," without looking up at him.

She saw in the corner of her eye how he shoved his schoolbag under the table and sat down beside her. Then he turned to her. "Why are you pushing me away. Clara? Maybe I did make a mistake yesterday, which I am clearly unaware of, and I'm sorry if I hurt you. But I don't understand. What I did was not intentional, so if that's what you think, then you're wrong," he said, before turning to his plate, and taking a slice of toast.

Clara looked up slowly. She watched as he buttered his toast angrily, and couldn't help but feel really bad. She was about to speak when Danny turned up in her view.

"Clara, please just hear me out before you get mad," Danny said.

"This isn't good timing, we'll talk later," Clara said calmly. She really didn't want to talk to him, especially with John right there as well.

"No, it wasn't my fault. I told Ernie I was busy but he made stay with him to complete homework. He threatened to take away house points and everything. It was ridiculous. I'm really sorry you had to wait there yourself," Danny pleaded.

John looked up at him, and then at Clara. "Sorry what?" he said.

"Stay out of this, John. It has nothing to do with you," Clara said, getting up.

"Yes it does. I'm your best friend, I care for you and I want to know what he's done to hurt you, whoever he is," John said, also standing up.

Clara saw Danny's fear before he said "I need to go. Bye," and ran off. When he was gone, John looked at her questioningly.

"I told you not to get involved. For God's sake, I don't need you sticking up for me all the time," she said, before running after Danny, who had left the Great Hall. When she entered the Entrance Hall, she saw him walking up the Grand Staircase. She felt for him, because he definitely wasn't as strong willed as John, which is why he didn't put up an argument with him.

"Danny!" she shouted. He stopped, turned around and looked at her with a very frightened expression. He relaxed a little when he saw that John wasn't there, but he didn't approach her, so she approached him. "Danny, let's just talk about this. Sorry about John, he's a good friend of mine, he just doesn't want to see me hurt," she said.

Danny nodded, and then lead them both into a random, empty corridor. "Look, I really am sorry. Please just don't hate me. You've been such a good friend to me so far," he said.

"I don't hate you, you big dimbo. Although, I was a little pissed about it last night. I took it all out on Quidditch though, so it's all good," she said, smiling again.

Danny sighed in relief. "Well, that's good news. I'll try and come to the try-outs later, but for now, good luck. I haven't seen you play yet, but you'll be amazing I bet," he said.

"Thanks, Danny. I'll see you later," she said, before leaving the corridor and making her way back down to the Great Hall.

John still there when she returned, but he completely ignored her when she sat down. "John, I'm sorry, I-"

"Forget it. Go back to your boyfriend, you obviously need him more than you need me," John said.

"He's not my boyfriend! And that is not true! I've only known him a week. That's nothing compared to how long I've known you. You've always been there for me. Please, just don't be like this," she said.

"You're telling _me _not to be like this? For the love of Merlin's beard, this is messed up. I don't know what's wrong with you at the moment, but you better sort it out. I want the old, "always happy" Clara, that I know back. Not this girl who's changing her mind every two seconds," he said, before getting up, putting his bag on his shoulder, and walking off.

Clara couldn't say anything, she was completely stunned.

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><p>Dinner was probably the worst Hogwarts meal she'd ever had. Not because of the food; the food was fine, but the atmosphere. Her nerves were really getting to her now, and her regret towards John weren't helping at all. He'd only turned up to the meal for about two minutes to get some food in him, before he left again, after wishing her a forced "Good luck."<p>

She felt terrible. Danny had come over and patted her on the back. "You'll be great. I can't wait to see you thrash everyone else and earn that place on the team," he said.

She laughed, although it wasn't as heartily as usual. She finished her meal quickly, and went down to the Quidditch on time for the try-outs to start.

A few people were gathered on the pitch already when she got there, and she was welcomed by Roger Davies when she walked over to them.

"Okay, Ravenclaws. I will be assessing all of you today, and when I say all, I mean current team members too. I will be looking at your ability to play Quidditch, but also at how well you get on with everyone else, because a team sticks together, and I don't want to start the year with any grudges," Roger said once they began.

_"Great," _Clara thought to herself. John was only standing a few metres away and they hadn't looked at each other at all yet. She would have to go over and try and settle things once and for all, because she didn't want their arguments reducing her chances of getting on the team.

"Okay! So I want to start you all start off by kicking off and flying around for a bit, just to get you comfortable," Roger said.

A few people did as he said immediately, but Clara took the chance to quickly go to John. "Hey," she said. He turned and looked at her with an emotionless expression. "Can we just get over what happened and try and get on? I don't want to lose our friendship, and it would help with these try-outs too. Please, John?" she pleaded with him.

He didn't smile, but he nodded and said "Okay, we'll talk over it properly later though," he said. Then he mounted his broom and kicked off without another word. Clara soon joined him up in the air.

The session went pretty well. She seemed to get the impression that Roger liked her, but she was probably hoping too much. She tried to look as composed as she could, and once she was in there shooting the Quaffle at the hoops, she felt extremely comfortable. She scored four out of five, and though she had a good chance, as she was joint top with a third year boy.

At the end, Roger gathered them all back on the ground to announce his choices. "Right, so out of what I've seen today, I think that Ravenclaw have a big bunch of talented Quidditch players, but I'm keeping all existing players on the team, meaning that I'm only taking on two new players. The new beater is going to be Jerry Carter and the new chaser is going to be Clara Oswald," he said.

Clara smiled broadly when she heard her name, and she looked over at John. He did smile at her, and she could see that it was genuine. She ran to him and hugged him with a laugh. He spun her around.

"Didn't I tell you?" he said to her, before putting her down.

"Thank you so much," she said. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I was being mean, you didn't deserve any of it."

"Forget it," John said with a big smile. Clara was so happy to see his smile again, she'd missed it a lot.

Roger came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Well done, Clara," he said. "I picked you over that other boy because I saw more potential in you. I felt he had worked to the best of his abilities, whereas I think you have more to give."

"Really?"

"Yep, and I can't wait to see you show it."

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><p><strong>Woo hoo! She did it, and their little fight has been resolved.<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Yeah, it was probably really predictable that Clara would get in, but hey ho, why not? :P I mean, she's not really sporty in DW, but Quidditch is awesome, and so is she :) Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far! I'm definitely enjoying writing it and hearing your feedback :) Thanks guys!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything :/**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 - John<strong>

Just before they reached the staircase to Ravenclaw Tower, John picked Clara up. She was a little startled by it at first, but then she just laughed.

"Time to introduce everyone to their new Chaser," John said as he carried her up the stairs. "Man, I never noticed how light you were."

"I'm not that light, your just really strong. All that working out paid off, I guess," Clara said.

The door to the Common Room asked them the question to let them in, and they answered correctly, enabling it to swing open. They stepped through and John shouted "Meet your new Chaser, people!"

There were many cheers as John put Clara down, and pointed towards her. Lots of people came over to congratulate her, and he watched as she smiled and thanked them. He loved to see her genuinely happy, it made him happy too.

After a while it all died down, and he got to have her to himself again. "Shall we go to my dorm?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said.

He led them up to his dorm, and when they entered, they were both relieved to see that it was empty. John sat down on his bed, and left half of it for her to sit on too.

"I'm so proud of you, mate," John said. "It's going to be awesome having you on the team."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. When's the first training session?" she asked.

"Uh, Saturday afternoon, I think," he said scratching his head. "We'll have to check, though."

"Okay. Look about everything that happened today. I just want to get it all cleared up. The thing with Danny, that was nothing. I help him out with Ancient Runes because he's struggling a bit. And we sit together in lessons, and he's become quite a good friend to me. Don't take it the wrong way, okay? You'll always be my number one friend," she said.

John nodded. "Alright. I didn't really think anything of it, anyway, to be honest. You're my number one friend too," he added with a smile.

"Good. Now that we got that sorted, we can get on with everything as normal," Clara said joyfully.

"Yeah. So exactly how friendly are you with Danny?" He asked, just to annoy her.

"Oh, shut up. I've already told you you're number one, how much more do you want?" Clara said.

"Hmm... Let me see," he said. He was just messing with her, it was so much fun.

"Damn it, John. You drive me crazy sometimes," Clara said.

"That's what I'm here for," John said with a big smile.

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><p>It was drizzling lightly on Saturday afternoon when the Ravenclaw Quidditch team where to begin their first training session of the year. Now that all the House teams had been decided, it was time to decide tactics and formations. John was hoping that they would up their game this season, as they came third last time, which wasn't a hugely amazing result.<p>

"Right, ladies and gents, because of course I can say that because Cho's not the only girl anymore, we have a tough season ahead as usual. First game at the end of November is against Hufflepuff as usual. I am expecting a win, as they are most likely our easiest match this year. Of course, as you all know, they've lost their captain, Cedric Diggory, who was also a valuable player. I think they will struggle to replace him someone who can match his ability. Now today we will be starting with passing, because you may not have realised, but most of you haven't played this game for two years, so we're all likely to be really rusty. So let's go!"

That was all Roger had to say to start the training. They were all sitting in the changing rooms, all kitted up as they listened. But when he gave the command, they all filed out onto the pitch and went straight for the air.

John stuck with Clara, to make sure she was okay at all times. She was very excited to see her new kit hanging up in the changing room when they entered, and she wouldn't stop admiring it for about ten minutes.

"It's so nice," she had said as she stroked it.

"Yeah, but it'll probably get really muddy at some point so enjoy it while you can," John said, rolling his eyes at her.

Once they were up in the air, they were thrown a quaffle between two by Roger, and they were instructed to pass it to each other.

John and Clara were together, and they passed pretty well. They only dropped the quaffle a couple of times, and they were just silly mistakes.

"Okay, very good everyone. Alright, John, you get in front of those hoops. Let's see what you can save against our chasers. After a few shots each, we might start getting some of our sponge bludgers in there to distract you," Roger said. He called the two beaters over to help him get the bludgers and the bats.

Sam Bradley, who was one of the chasers, threw a quaffle to Clara. "You first, newbie," he said.

"Hey, watch it. You don't want to see her angry, especially when she's on a broomstick with a quaffle," John said as he postioned himself in front of the hoops. He watched as the determination appeared on Clara's face as she clutched the quaffle, and began go move towards the goal.

He readied himself to fly in any direction that was required for the save. Clara first jolted to the left, and then with a twist, she was moving to the right, before nearly placing the quaffle through the hoop on the right side.

"Sweet!" John said. "You had me there. Play like that in our matches and you'll smash any goalkeeper."

She winked at him as she flew past to collect the quaffle. Next was Bradley. John knew his throw already, it was always hard and fast, which required nerve to save. It wasn't until the quaffle hit your body, when you realised how hard it was, but at the end of the day, it was John's job to put his neck on the line to keep quaffles out of his hoops.

Bradley came forward at full speed and tossed the quaffle into the central hoop. John dived for it, after being convinced he was going right, and with his fingertips, he knocked the quaffle away. It ended up rebounding off the hoop, so John caught it back, and secured his possession.

"Not bad, Smith. Looks like you've been practising. You'll do us good this season," Roger said as he joined the rest of them up in the air. "Now, let's spice things up a bit. Here are the bludgers."

He held up one of the black bludgers in his hand, and waved it at them. They were very convincing, and John wondered whether they were real or not.

"Look, we've got sponge bludgers, that actually look like bludgers this year. Not those old yellow things anymore. Right, let's play!"

He threw the bludger into play, and now the chasers were to work together against the keeper. John saved a few, and missed a few. At one point, he got one of Bradley quaffles in the face, which caused him to have a small nosebleed. He discarded everyone's fussing, though, and played on.

The rest of the session ran smoothly, and was a lot of fun. It made John realise how much he had missed Quidditch, and how happy he was for Clara to be able to share his joy. She really got on well with everyone, and by the end, she was definitely part of the team.

"See? Didn't I tell you it would be brilliant?" John said as they walked back to the changing rooms.

"Yeah, that was really great. I'm so glad I did it," Clara said.

"Hey, Clara!" Cho Chang caught up with the two of them, and walked beside them. "You were really good today, Clara. I'm so happy that I'm not the only girl on the team now. It's great to have you here," she said.

"Thanks, Cho. I'm happy to be here," Clara said.

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><p><strong>Woop, yay you go, Clara!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Hiya. I'm trying to stick with the timeline of events from the Order of the Pheonix, but it's pretty hard to know if I'm doing it right. But thanks to and online OOTP calendar, it's making it a lot easier. Hope you're all having a good new year, thanks for all your support.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 - Clara<strong>

Wednesday afternoons always ended with Ancient Runes for Clara, which she was enjoying a lot more ever since she began sitting with Danny. She was still feeling a little bad about not telling John about how often she was meeting Danny, but she knew that it would only make him jealous. It wasn't that she preferred Danny, she was just finding it hard to resist his company.

"Ehwaz means partnership, I think. That's a good word for us because we are such good partners," Clara said, flipping through her textbook, looking to confirm her translation.

"Yeah, that is very true. I enjoy working with you, Clara. Never forget it," Danny said, poking her shoulder.

Clara laughed. "Don't worry, mate," Clara said. "I won't."

There was a knock at the classroom door, and everyone looked up. The door slowly opened, and Professor Umbridge stuck her head in. "Excuse me, Professor Babbling, but would it be alright if I sat in for a bit?" She asked.

Clara rolled her eyes. Ever since Umbridge became the High Inquisitor of the school, she was snooping on all their lessons. The sight of her face made Clara cringe.

"Yes, yes, of course. Mr Pink, could you get a chair for Professor Umbridge," Professor Babbling said, before turning back to the blackboard.

Danny raised his eyebrows at Clara, and she gave him a sympathetic look back. He stood up, and picked up a chair from the back of the room. He placed the chair on the other side of the room from where they were sitting, and then came back.

"Nice one," Clara said, giving him a fist bump as he sat back down.

"Thanks. I don't want here hanging around here," Danny said.

But they didn't avoid Umbridge very easily, as she walked around the room throughout the lesson, and often came by their table, asking questions.

"So how would you rate Professor Babbling's teaching?" Umbridge asked them, she had a clipboard, with a quill at the ready to write notes.

"Uh, well. She teaches pretty well actually. I'd give her about eight out of ten," Clara said. She really didn't like Umbridge, but she didn't want to get on the wrong side of her, so she kept her answers concise.

"Splendid. Thank you," Umbridge said, before turning around and trotting over to another table.

Clara and Danny looked at each other. He shook his head and laughed, before looking back down at his work.

However, Clara kept looking at him. That smile that was still stuck to his face was so cute to her. It was hard for her to look away. It wasn't until he realised her staring that she looked at her work.

"You better get move on, you know. Unless you want homework, which I highly doubt," Danny said.

Clara finished her work quickly after that, completing it just before the end of the lesson. Umbridge had left them just before that, which, Clara noticed, made the whole class sigh in relief. The bell rang for the end of the lesson, and everyone packed away.

"Hey, um," Danny said, getting her attention. "I was just wondering... You know the first Hogsmeade trip? Do you think we could go together, or do you already have other plans? I mean, it's totally fine if you can't, but it's just an idea," he suggested.

"I think I'll have to check on that one, but if I can't do the whole day, we'll still meet up, okay?" She said. She wondered if John would be okay with him joining them.

"Okay then. Shall we go down to dinner together? I'm in no hurry to ditch my bag, to be honest," he said.

"Sure. Let's go," Clara said, before they left the classroom together. They walked down the corridor, but Danny led them a different way than the one they would usually take. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"I know a shortcut. There's a secret corridor that requires a password that only Hufflepuffs know. I think every house has their own special corridor, right?" Danny said.

"Yeah, actually. There is a Ravenclaw one, but I never use it," Clara said.

They reached a painting of a forest which contained a very small image of a badger in the distance. "_Very Hufflepuff," _Clara thought to herself.

"Loyalty is always returned," Danny said to the painting which caused it to swing open. They clambered through the hole into a dark corridor that was lit by torches.

"That's cute. _"loyalty is always returned._" I guess that's mostly true," Clara said.

"Yeah. It's what Hufflepuff's are known for mainly. Because we weren't given a specific trait, like intellegence or bravery. We were chosen to be the different ones. The ones who didn't need to be defined. And I think that's beautiful. Hufflepuff is usually seen as the joke house, as people think that's where the noobs are thrown in. But I'm proud to be different. Hufflepuff is way better than people think. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Danny said. They had stopped walking now.

Clara was extremely touched by what Danny had said. It was such a beautiful speech, and she'd never thought he's have such a delicate side to him. She took a step closer to him, and looked into his eyes. "Yes, I do. I never realised you were so philosophical," Clara said smiling.

She knew what she was going to do now, because it was something she was wanting to do for a long time. She stepped forward again. It was times like this that she noticed how short she really was, so she got on her tiptoes.

Danny was looking at her with an expressionless face, but he wasn't backing away, so she knew that what she was doing was okay. She leaned towards him slowly and kissed him softly.

His reaction was definitely what she wanted, because he kissed her back. It only lasted a short while, because she broke the kiss before she thought it would be too much too soon.

Danny looked at her with what looked like a mixture of shock, excitement and relief. It was hard for her to tell which one it was exactly. They looked at each other for a while before they both laughed. She couldn't believe that she had just done that.

"Wow," Danny said.

"I don't know why I did that exactly, but I'm glad I did," Clara said, before starting to giggle again.

"Come on, let's go down to dinner," he said, grabbing her hand and beginning to walk again.

She was feeling truly amazing at that moment, like she'd conquered just conquered her dream to something, although she'd never dreamed her first kiss would be with Danny. She definitely didn't think it would be her kissing someone first either.

They reached the Great Hall a lot quicker than she had anticipated. As they entered, they were still holding hands, and Clara didn't notice until after they parted to their own house's tables, that it had attracted a lot of attention.

"Got yourself a boyfriend there, Clara?" Saxon asked suspiciously as she passed the Slytherin table.

She decided to ignore him and thankfully when she reached her seat next to John, he hadn't seen anything.

"Hiya," Clara said as she sat down. She tried to stay composed, as if nothing had happened and she had just returned from a normal lesson.

"Hey, Clara. How was Ancient Runes?" John asked her.

There was a small pause before she answered. "Yeah, fine. Boring as usual, and Umbridge came in to watch as well," Clara said

"Oh, she's rotten, she is. She thinks she's all high and mighty, and she's only been here two minutes," John said with disgusted face.

"Yeah, I know right," Clara said.

John looked at her. "Is it me, or do you seem pretty happy beneath your calmness? Have you been listening to me, and being more happy?" John asked.

Clara laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said.

John suddenly looked at her suspiciously. She had given herself away. Luckily, he decided not to make anything of it. "Anyway, you know Hogsmeade isn't far off now? Saxon said he's meeting someone. A girl, apparently. So I'm totally free on my own. So I wondered if we could just spend the day chilling out together. Like, you know, having a couple of butterbeers at The Three Broomsticks, and then messing around some shops and that? What do you say?" John asked.

Clara was really feeling awkward now. She could only think of one resolution. "Well, actually, I said I would meet someone. Do you reckon he could join us?" Clara asked.

"He? Who is it?" John asked, his bright face falling slightly.

"Danny Pink. The one I have Ancient Runes with," Clara said. John looked down slightly. "Come on, you might even become friends or something."

"Alright then," John said, although Clara could see that he wasn't overly happy that the plans for their day trip together had been changed.

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><p><strong>Well that was damn painful for me to write, as Pinkwald (or whatever Danny x Clara is called) is definitely my NOTP. I don't like it.<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, stuff's definitely starting to happen now. Hope you're enjoying it so far :) Thanks everyone! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 - John<strong>

John wasn't angry at Clara for wanting to bring Danny Pink to Hogsmeade with them, but he certainly wasn't happy about it. He'd planned out a whole day for them to spend together, but now there was one extra person around. Why did she even want to bring Danny? She'd only known him about two weeks, so why was she so keen to have him around? Maybe there was something he was missing.

These were questions John was asking himself for a week now, ever since she had told him she wanted to bring Danny to Hogsmeade. There was a conclusion that had occurred to him several times, but he didn't want to be true, which was the horrible possibility that they were dating. But that couldn't be possible. Clara wouldn't move onto someone that fast, especially as she'd never had a boyfriend before.

But the thought wouldn't leave him alone.

What would he do if it were true? For a start, he could forget trying a friendship with Danny, because he would hate. John was the one that was always there for Clara, not some puny Hufflepuff. How would he face her, knowing that she liked someone more than she liked him? It would be unbearable.

But coming to conclusions was the wrong thing to do, and John knew that, so he decided to think nothing more of it. Besides, he was probably exaggerating a lot.

John was lying in his four poster bed, and staring at one of the curtains. He'd usually stay up for a bit and talk to his peers, but he wasn't in the mood. He was just thinking to much, something that happened to him fairly often now. There were things that would turn up in his head sometimes, that wouldn't leave him alone. For some reason, recently, that thing was Clara.

His thoughts had returned to him again, and he just gave up on trying to send them away. Eventually, it did send him to sleep, although it did take him a while, as they bothered him. The thought of Clara and Danny made him shudder in anger, and another emotion that he didn't even realise, which was jealousy.

* * *

><p>He awoke pretty early that morning, but he felt a lot more refreshed, and ready for the day. It was not really a feeling he was familiar with, as he usually slept late, and woke in the morning tired and bothered.<p>

Once he was changed into his school robes, he glanced at his timetable to see which lessons he had that day. Before lunch he had Defence Against the Dark Arts with Hufflepuff and Charms. A pretty terrible morning in John's eyes, especially as DADA included Danny Pink and Umbridge in the same lesson.

He packed his bag, and then went down to the Common Room, where Clara was already waiting for him. "Good morning," he said.

"Hiya," she said with a grin. "How are you today? You look happy."

"Yeah, well I guess I got up on the right side of the bed this morning. And probably met a hot girl in my dream, too," John said, meaning it as a joke, but also wanting to see how she would react.

"Really?" Clara asked with a lot of interest.

John laughed slightly. "That was intended as a joke, but it's good to know that your undying attraction for me is still there," he said, a slight bitterness in his voice that he made sure wasn't obvious. He wondered if he'd get anything out of her. Perhaps she wasn't telling him something.

She didn't smile immediately, and John sighed, still trying to stay positive. "Yeah, sure," she said after a while, managing to raise a sort of smile.

He decided not to say anymore. He'd seen right through her now, and she still wasn't telling him anything. He had a strong feeling he was hiding something from her.

They walked down to the Great Hall in silence, and John noticed that Clara kept nervously glancing at him the whole way. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You've suddenly gone very quiet."

"Mood swings, I guess," was all he said. "So tell me, how's Danny at the moment. You haven't said much about him recently."

He looked right at her as they sat down together at the Ravenclaw table. She looked extremely uncomfortable. "What do you know, John?"

He raised his eyebrows. It was working. "Oh, so there is something you're hiding after all? I don't know anything, but please, do tell," John said.

"I wasn't hiding it from you. I just didn't want to tell you in case you'd get upset," Clara said. She looked like she was in pain.

"Uhuh, I'm listening now, Clara," John said. He totally knew what was coming, and he was slowly dying inside. But he wouldn't let it show.

"Me and Danny have been seeing each other. Like, a lot. And, I think we're together," Clara said. She bowed her head, as if in shame.

"Together, you say? And when were you intending on tel... Wait a moment. You've been seeing each other? So Qudditch practice and library with Hermione were all lies?" John asked.

"Not all of them. Look, John. I didn't want to hurt you," Clara said.

"You didn't want to hurt me? Well, you've done a crap job of that. If you had been straight with me from the beginning, I probably would have accepted it, but you lied to me multiple times. You were seeing him behind my back, when you could have been spending time with me. I always waited for you to get back to the Common Room, and while I did, you were off kanoodling with some other guy," John said. He wasn't raising his voice, but people were looking at them, so he got up, gave Clara one last dirty look, and left.

He didn't leave the hall straight away, though. Because first he went to the Hufflepuff table, to seek out Clara's new boyfriend. When he spotted him in the crowd, he walked up to him and tapped him on the back.

"You better look after her, because she'd rather spend time with you than with me," John said after Danny turned to look at him. At the sight of his angry face, he looked suddenly scared. It was satisfying to see that, for John, and he was tempted to just hit him on the spot. But he knew that it would be stupid, so he walked off and out of the Great Hall.

He didn't really understand why he'd become so angry until he reached his dorm. It was when he saw something in his open trunk, that he finally realised what he was feeling. The past twenty minutes had all been messed up in the terms of him emotions, but he could conclude it all now.

He went to his trunk, and picked up the object that had caught his eye. It was one of the masks that he and Clara always wore at Halloween. One of the masks his mum had given them in their first year. Just the sight of it brought back so many happy memories.

That was finally when John shed a tear and broke down.

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><p><strong>Oh, man. I am crying...<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**These chapters are so hard to write... Especially John's because they break my heart. I'm so sorry about this, but what's a good story without its depressing bits? I hope I'm making you all feel emotional, coz that's the whole point. Don't worry though, it's not going to last forever. I feel so evil :( Thanks for the support, keep reviewing, favouriting and following :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 - Clara<strong>

She didn't know what to do. She felt do horrible, and now everyone was looking at her too. Some people even threw her some dirty looks as if to say "how could you?"

The tears came to her eyes, and as she looked up, she saw the blurred image of Danny running towards her. She stood up, and he hugged her tightly.

"What am I going to do now, Danny?" She said into his shoulder.

"Come on, not here. Let's go somewhere else. We're causing a scene," Danny took her hand and they left the Hall. He took her into an empty classroom. "What happened?"

Clara sat on a nearby desk and explained everything. It didn't take her long, as it had all happened within about twenty minutes. Danny nodded as she spoke.

"Damn. I'm really sorry. We probably should have told him something. I mean, I would have been pissed if I was in his situation," Danny said, chewing on his thumbnail.

"Don't say we! You don't even know him. This is my fault, he is... Probably was, my best friend. And I've lost him," Clara said.

"You don't fancy him though, do you?" Danny asked.

"Danny! You're not helping! For the love of Merlin's saggy beard, I have no bloody clue what I am supposed to do now. I'm going to have to face him in every lesson, every Quidditch practise, even in the Common Room. You don't!" Clara said. She was shouting. She had become so annoyed at Danny at that second, that she just flipped.

"Now, seriously. Calm down, Clara. You'll just have to face it. This stuff happens to people all the time, and they eventually get over it. Who's says you two won't?"

"You know what, I need to think things over... Alone." She checked her watch. There was ten minutes until Defence Against the Dark Arts. "I'm going to go somewhere. I don't care where and think this through. Because my head is a goddamn mess right now, and you're not helping it."

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><p>The day passed extremely slowly. She had most of her lessons with John, and it was very hard to bear the sight of him. He looked extremely hurt, and he'd obviously made no effort to get rid of his tear stains. He just seemed to not care about anything.<p>

The first lesson, Defence Against the Dark Arts, was the worst of them all. Clara had no choice but to sit with Danny, as John had taken his place next to Ernie. She frankly didn't want to be seen with Danny anymore, and was beginning to question why she was with him in the first place. But she held onto him throughout the day, because without him, she'd have no one.

Although she did bump into Ginny Weasley, who she had become fairly closer to, during their lunch break, and they had a chat. It was very encouraging to talk to someone of the same gender as her, instead of listening to a boy, for once.

But later on, once the day of lessons was over after dinner, Clara spotted John sitting alone in the Common Room. He had his eyes closed, and his head was resting on his hand. She stared him for a while, and it truly hurt her to see him so alone. After all, they'd always relied on each other.

She then realised that if she didn't try to talk to him, it could have meant the end of their friendship. She had to try and do something because otherwise, nothing would be done, and that would be the end of it all. All the years they'd had together.

She plucked up the courage, and went to him. She approached slowly, before tapping his arm lightly and saying his name.

He opened his eyes one by one, and when he saw her, he rolled his eyes. Thankfully, she didn't say any hatred in his eyes, but she definitely saw sadness.

"Look, John. I just want to talk to you. I want to explain," she said.

"Go ahead. But I don't see how you can resolve anything. What's done is done," John said calmly.

"Danny, he... There's just something about him. I've never really felt like I do around him, around anyone else. It's just a natural thing," she said.

"I understand," was all John said.

That took her by surprise a little. "You do?"

"Yes. Carry on."

"Well, it's just. You're like a brother to me. And I thought you'd get, well... Overprotective. I was going to tell you, I just wanted to give it some time to unfold first. To see if it was really what I wanted," Clara said.

"Are you still with him?" John asked.

"Yes."

"Do you love him?" That was when he made eye contact with her for the first time in that conversation.

She paused. "I think so," she said.

"Okay. Well, I don't see this working anymore, Clara. How do I trust you?" John asked.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that. You're still my number one guy." She was desperate now. She didn't want it to end.

"But that's the thing, though, isn't it? I'm not your number one guy. I haven't been ever since you started dating Danny. How can I be your number one guy if you kissing a different one? You need to come to terms with that, or you can make a choice. But I'm not pressuring you into anything. I just want to see you happy, that's all. Because, I think I... Forget it," John finished. Clara saw the tears well up in his eyes before he stood up and went up to his dorm.

And he was right. She would have to choose at some point. Because as long as Clara was going it with Danny, her real best friend would be absent from her life, and she didn't know if she could bare it.


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm so sorry that it's getting so depressing but yeah, I've already said why. School started recently, so I may not be able to update as regularly as usual, but I will try to keep it as frequently as I can. Thanks for all support and feedback, it means a lot. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 - John<strong>

"I can't handle it anymore, Saxon. This bloody situation is killing me," John said.

Saxon sighed and ran his hand through his hair, which was considerably shorter than it used to be before the Summer. "You're going to have to tell her something, mate. If she hasn't come back to you after your conversation, then you shouldn't let it hang in the air. You've got to let it out," Saxon said.

"I guess. But I can't go near her, every time I see Clara I just feel like crying," John said. He put his head in his hands, feeling a little embarrassed that he was spilling out his heart to Saxon, although he was very aware of the situation.

"You really love her, don't you?" Saxon asked. When John looked up he saw that his face was twisted into an expression that said "unlucky, mate."

John just nodded, and then looked off into the distance of the courtyard. He was getting used to holding back his tears now, as he had to do it almost every day. He wasn't lying when he said that he wanted to cry at the sight of Clara. Finding out about her and Danny had been a massive blow to the stomach.

"I feel for you, man. I really do. She'll come round, you'll see. Besides, this is her first boyfriend. She's probably just experimenting to see what it's like. She might even fall for you once she's done with him. But even if she doesn't, don't worry. If you really want to be with her, just give it some time, however painful it may be," Saxon said, putting a hand on John's shoulder.

His speech made John smile slightly. "Where did you learn about all of this romantic stuff? Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked with curiosity.

"Perhaps there is. But I want to let it unravel before I tell anyone. But who cares about me, we're talking about you now," Saxon said.

"Oh, come on. I've just told you everything about my current emotional status and you won't tell me about a possible relationship you may be engaging in?" John said. He sat up straight and looked right at his best friend, waiting for him to spill the beans.

Saxon gave in with a sigh. "Alright, but don't tell a soul. Not even Clara if you come round with her. I don't want anyone to know anything just yet."

"I promise. Now spit it out," John said.

"Well, okay, basically... Me and Katie Bell," was all Saxon said to begin with. John laughed, but not in a horrible way. "You remember I took her to the Yule Ball last year? Yeah, well we've been sort of friendly since. It never really worked out in _that _way before, but I asked her out to Hogsmeade last week and she said she would go with me, so..."

"That's awesome! Nice one, Sax. I have no idea what I'm doing on Hogsmeade day. I guess I'll have to stock up on my confectionery, so that gives me an excuse to go down there. I might ask some of the lads from my dorm actually," John said.

There were only a week to go until Hogsmeade, and John had no idea about what he was going to do.

"Another reason why you have to get it back on with Clara," Saxon said.

"But, if she hasn't come back to me, it might mean that she wants Danny more..." John said. He was becoming all paranoid again, and over thinking everything.

"You need to calm yourself, John. Of course she will right now, because I bet she thinks you've rejected her. She's probably still with Danny because she thinks she'll have no one else without him," Saxon said.

"Wait, could you talk to her for me? I mean, you know her well enough. Just tell her... um, tell her that I'm sorry, and that I don't hate her and that-"

"Alright, I got it. I'll do it for you, but you owe me when I do," Saxon said.

"Yeah, sure. I owe you with my life, man," John said.

"It's so odd, though. You guys were so tight, and now look at you. It makes me sad to see you guys apart. You're supposed to be inseparable," Saxon said.

"Yeah, I know..." John had begun, but their conversation was interrupted by Padma Patil tapping his shoulder. He turned around, and at the sight of her, he expressed a look of confusion. She had never approached him before, perhaps it was something from Clara. His hope had suddenly risen.

"Uh, hello. I'm just spreading a message. Basically, it's a message from Hermione Granger about a possible Defence Against the Dark Arts meeting on the day of the Hogsmeade trip. It's just because we're not learning any proper defence, so she said Harry Potter might be able to start teaching us. Please don't tell anyone else, we don't want Umbridge finding out," Padma said.

"Yeah sure, does Clara know?" John asked suddenly, although he wasn't happy that he'd expressed such an interest.

"I told her earlier. She's really upset at the moment, by the way. I think she misses you," Padma said.

"And you think I'm skipping around in joy over here? It's not as simple as everyone thinks," John said. He shook his head slightly as she just looked at him blankly. He looked back at Saxon.

"It is though. For Merlin's sake, you just need to talk to each other!" Saxon said, looking as if he was annoyed.

"But _you're _talking to her, remember?"

"I will, but I'm going to tell her that you want to talk. I'm not resolving this for you, mate. You've got to sort your own crap out yourself," Saxon said. He stood up slowly. "Anyway, I need to go ask Lenny about something, I'll see you later. I'll talk to Clara if I bump into her."

John nodded and watched as he walked away. He had a long sigh. "Merlin's beard, John. What is wrong with you, you twat," he said, before getting up and running across the courtyard towards Ravenclaw tower, where his best friend was waiting to be forgiven.

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><p><strong>Sorry it's been ssoooooo long. So much homework, y'know?<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Right, it's been a long time, but I promise that I haven't given up on this story. It's half term now, so I'll have more time this week :) It's not long until we'll get our creative writing coursework for English, which I'm looking forward to, because I am pretty experienced :P Hope I haven't lost you all, thanks for sticking around if you're still here :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 19 - Clara<strong>

It was the week before their first trip to Hogsmeade, and Clara was still debating in her head about what she should do. She had now laid out her options and was aware of the sacrifices that came with each one, but it was to hard a decision for her to make. She just wanted everything to work out nicely, but she knew that that's not how life worked. There was always bad to balance out the good.

She'd had three options at hand: break up with Danny, stay with Danny or slap John in the face and tell him to grow up. All of them seemed stupid, but right at the same time, and it bugged her that she couldn't even them out and find the one she had to do.

There were a couple of times where Clara was prepared to break up with Danny, but every time his smile or charm would knock her off course and forget everything she had planned. It also made her realise how bad she would feel to break his heart.

But the longer she stayed with Danny, the more she knew how much John's heart was cracking, and that was something she couldn't bear to think about neither.

That was when the last option came down. Storm up to John one time, and tell him straight that he was being childish, and that he should just accept the fact that she had another boy in her life. It seemed liked the best option, but it was easier said than done.

She'd had a dream about John a few nights before. A little like the one she'd had in the Summer. It was an odd experience, and this time, she hadn't shook it off like she had before. What happened was that they were both on Blackpool beach, and he started kissing her, and then Danny appeared and got angry and then they started fighting. It was a weirdly vivid dream, that she hoped would never come true. She'd said it again and again, she didn't think she wanted John in that way, but these dreams were appearing anyway.

"Uh, hiya," came a familiar voice from behind her. Her heart leapt out of her chest as she whirled around to see John standing there with what seemed like an awkward smile. She just looked at him for a while. Oh, how she'd missed the way his mouth curled upwards.

But she had to be serious now, because it wasn't as simple as she would've hoped. "Hello, John,"

"Okay, so I haven't got anything planned but I'm going to blurt out what's on my mind. I don't want us to be like this, I miss you. Please-" John began to explain, but Clara quickly grabbed his jumper and interrupted

"Wait, people are staring," she said. It was true, a few people, mostly their peers had decided to tune into their conversation, which she wasn't too comfortable with.

She kept hold of his jumper and lead them both out of Ravenclaw tower. She kept walking until they reached a small, empty corridor.

"Okay, go on," she said.

"Alright, um. As I was saying. I don't want our friendship to be ruined because of a relationship. I guess it was going to happen at some point. I've just been really stupid over the past couple of weeks. I've not been myself, I should've been more forgiving," John finished.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have snuck around with Danny behind your back. I should have told you straight away. I didn't want to hurt you, John. I love you like a brother," she said, before stroking his arm softly.

She noticed straight away how he tensed slightly at the mention of the word 'brother'. She knew why but she decided to ignore it for the best.

"Can we be friends again?" He asked her.

"Of course. Come here you big numpty," Clara sad before pulling him into a hug.

"So, now that that's settled at last..." John said with a big sigh of relief. "Are you going to that defence meeting next week?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"Of course. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, we'll actually be able to learn something in DADA for once. Umbridge is just a boring old cow," Clara said, disbelieving that she had said what she had said.

"Wow, I can see she's definitely had an impact on you," John said, breaking into a laugh. Clara joined in. It was good that they were friends again.

"I've missed you," she said.

"I've missed you too, Clara Oswald," John said.

She smiled at him broadly. Something had occurred to her at that moment, though, and she couldn't ignore it. "Oh, you know what," she widened her eyes as if in sudden realisation. "I have to get a book from the library. I've only just remembered. Just bare with me, I'll be back soon."

She turned and ran down the hallway with no intention of going to the library at all. She was going to find Danny and tell him that she had made up with John. She was so happy about it.

Conveniently, she bumped into him in the Entrance Hall, and he smiled when he saw her excitement. "Hiya, what's up? You look really happy," Danny said as she pecked a kiss on his cheek.

"You'll never guess what happened. John came to me, and we're friends again! He doesn't hate me anymore!" She wasn't even trying to contain it.

But his face dropped a little. "Oh, uh, yeah that's great, Clara," he said, scratching his head a little.

Clara's excitement vanished. "You're jealous?"

"No, no, no of course not! I mean, at least you'll be happier now..."

Clara but a hand on his arm. "He's just a friend, Danny."

But suddenly a girly cough came from behind them. "Miss Oswald. Mr Pink."

The two of them whirled around to see the ugly toad face that belonged to Professor Umbridge. Clara tried exceptionally hard not to scowl in disgust.

"May I remind you of the new rule, which states that boys and girls are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other. I'm sorry, but you two look ever so close." A horrendous smile escaped her lips. She was enjoying her power.

"We're sorry, Professor. We forgot, it won't happen again," Danny said.

_What a puppy _I thought, half in disgust, half in adoration.

"I'll let you off this time, but remember that these rules are in place for your own safety." And with that, she trotted away.


End file.
